


Part of the Job

by Esta Camille Lupin (edye327)



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Here u go, I don't know, Policeman AU, but i kind of dig it, but someone requested more kissing at one point so, newtina, newtina au, newtina fluff, they're just like...lowkey making out, why did I write this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-10-10 04:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10428960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edye327/pseuds/Esta%20Camille%20Lupin
Summary: Modern AU in which both Newt and Tina are police officers and partners. Who may or may not occasionally make out against the side of a dingy convenience store while on a plainclothes operation targeting two known drug dealers. And who may, on occasion, save each other's lives. And who may, you know, SOMETIMES, get married.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm obsessed with Caught on Camera and similar British shows, and (viewing everything through the lens of my OTPs) I was inspired by CCTV footage of plainclothes cops (a man and a woman) walking down the street, in winter, being directed by CCTV as to the suspect’s whereabouts.
> 
> Also throwback to my Johnlock days and “for a case” fics. The italicized text is taken straight from the original screenplay, and you'll all recognize the dialogue at the end of chapter 1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four times Tina and Newt kiss because of work and one time they don't.

**1\. November**

They're on a plainclothes operation being directed by CCTV. A group of youths just burgled a local shop; Tina and Newt were closest, patrolling the streets when the call came, and now head quickly down the road to apprehend them all before they can get away.

They've been partners for two months now. Tina's the veteran, but not by much, and they hit it off from the start. Newt is slightly less commanding than his female counterpart, allowing her to delegate, which works out much more nicely than her last, rather sexist partner, who barely ever let her drive or call any shots. Accordingly, Tina knew she liked Newt from the first day, when they walked to the patrol car and he automatically took the passenger seat despite the fact that the keys were in the ignition and anyone's game.

Her opinion of him only continued to improve from there, as despite his initial reticence he’s clearly smart, on top of things, and the perfect balance of compassionate and firm. She did have concerns about his softness at first — being a cop, you can't afford to be overly emotional — but he keeps it nicely in check and they share a laugh or two after making some of the more ridiculous arrests in their time together. They also share some seriously close calls, and Tina has to say that crazy as it is, she trusts Newt with her life. Which is good, being partners. That’s all they are, anyway. Work partners.

This chilly November evening is one of their first times out and about together in plainclothes, and to Tina's surprise, Newt reaches over and takes her hand as they make their way down the lane aided by CCTV operators.

"Just want to fit in," he explains, and it's true that everyone else on the streets appear to be couples.

"Okay," Tina says dumbly. She swears he runs his thumb gently over the back of her hand, and feels her stomach flip flop.

"CCTV, we're looking for an IC3 male, white trainers, black sweatshirt?" Newt verifies into the radio.

The operator confirms it. Newt tugs Tina to the right, and she's briefly annoyed because she _knows_ where they're going, it's just that her partner is being unnecessarily distracting. He doesn't let go of her hand until they take the suspect into custody.

For whatever reason, even after all is said and done, Tina can't stop thinking about the way Newt had reached so naturally for her hand and interlaced their fingers with the ease of an actual couple. She’s used to men being more passive than that; his assertiveness is something she’ll have to grow accustomed to.

Except there’s no reason to grow accustomed to any part of Newt’s romantic behavior, assertive or otherwise, because there’s no dating within the force. She and Newt must remain platonic friends and partners. Work _always_ comes first.

"Good show, PC Goldstein," Newt says before he hops out of the cruiser where Tina drops him off at his car.

Tina smiles. "You too, Scamander."

He hesitates for a split second; then, in a flurry of movement so quick Tina wonders if it really happened at all, he leans over and kisses her on the cheek. With that, he's out of the car in a flash of teal peacoat and a confusing expression that seems both remorseful and relieved.

Well, Tina thinks as she tries to get her thoughts in order, it’s all part of the job.

—•—

**2\. January**

They're in plainclothes again, tracking two men suspected of drug dealing. The suspects have been standing on the same strip of pavement for awhile — a telltale sign — spending far too much time looking around at the foot traffic and shifting every so often. Newt and Tina dawdle, waiting for something to happen.

"I think we aroused their suspicion," Newt whispers ten minutes later. They're both shivering, hands thrust into jacket pockets. “That must be why they haven’t moved yet.”

"I think you've had too much to drink," Tina replies, smiling. They'd spent the first half of the evening doing their due diligence and scoping out a handful of bars before getting the call.

"I don't drink on duty," Newt objects disapprovingly.

They both glance over at the suspects, who are _still_ lurking at the corner. The streets are beginning to clear out, leaving Tina and Newt searching for a valid reason to stay in the same place.

"We could circle round the block," Newt suggests.

Tina is hesitant to let them out of their sights. CCTV is instrumental, but her own pride resents relying on someone other than herself any more than necessary. "Let's wait a minute," she suggests instead, leaning against the wall of the convenience store and crossing her arms. It’s starting to snow, light little flurries of snowflakes that drift lazily onto their shoulders and melt as soon as they touch the pavement.

“As you wish,” Newt concedes, rocking back and forth on his heels and trying to look casual.

Another couple of minutes pass. “Newt,” Tina hisses when she sees the suspects notice them. “We have to look preoccupied or they’re gonna get suspicious.”

"I have an idea," Newt breathes, and suddenly he's very close to Tina, one arm above her head, trapping her with the lanky frame of his body. His eyes are startlingly vivid despite the dim street lighting, and when he blinks she can count every snowflake caught on his pale eyelashes.

Tina doesn't know what possesses her to reach up, cup the side of Newt’s cheek, and stroke a thumb tentatively down his jawline. When she rests her other hand on his chest, slipping underneath his jacket, she sees his Adam's apple bob as he swallows hard. And when his gaze drops deliberately to her lips, their fate is as good as sealed.

It's frigid outside, but everywhere he touches her burns and sparks. Newt presses his free palm to the small of her back and crowds her against the side of the building as their kiss tips over from a tentative "this is for pretenses only" charade to something hungrier and frighteningly real. And Tina is lost to it.

Newt's lips are chapped in the cold, but somehow still soft and surprisingly gentle despite their shared, heretofore unrecognized (or at least unacknowledged) urgency to be with each other. He tastes of something addicting; Tina finds herself wanting more as she deepens the kiss, hands roaming underneath Newt's jacket. She can feel his heart jumping against his chest and feels immense self satisfaction at having produced such a response. Not that she's any calmer.

Newt tilts her chin just slightly to the side, fingertips leaving a trail of warmth even through the blue latex of their gloves, and cants his own head to claim her lips again. He's even more assertive doing this than Tina would have originally given him credit for — not that she's lodging any complaints. Boldly, she buries her fingers in his hair, then tugs him closer by the zip of his parka, and now they're chest to chest and his other arm finally moves to wrap around her waist so he's relying on Tina to hold him up as he kisses her senseless.

How ridiculous it is, Tina thinks now, to be literally making out with her partner of four months against a building in the middle of an important drug bust. She has to admit he's cute — she's always thought _that —_ and Queenie, a 999 dispatcher who’s been her best friend for over a decade, is right that there's been palpable tension for awhile, but good lord, this was unexpected.

The radio at Tina's waist crackles loudly; she and Newt jump apart, as though the CCTV hasn't caught it all. Horror seeps into both of their expressions as they realize exactly what they've just done.

"CCTV FH? Yeah, they've scarpered," the CCTV operator says. Tina wants to bury her head in the ground like an ostrich. Better yet, get run over by the next car that comes by. Newt can write them a speeding ticket, and she can die a peaceful death and never have to face anyone who saw what just happened. Particularly her boss, and, depending on how much mercy this CCTV operator has, the internet.

"Oh god," Tina groans. "We're getting fired." She shoves Newt off of her and straightens her clothes, jerking her head towards the crosswalk. To the walkie talkie she asks, "Where are they now?"

“Suspects have split up, one IC1 male in a red jumper, slim build, medium height is heading for a residential area.”

Tina and Newt nod resolutely at each other and set off.

“...and it's a left, left, left down the lane to your right... he's gone into an estate now, he's going to start garden-hopping if you can cover the east side.”

The operator continues giving directions and they follow quickly, Tina keeping a careful distance from her partner and kicking herself for having turned a blind eye to a goddamn drug deal. It was a very _nice_ blind eye, of course, but the devoted policewoman in Tina is positively appalled.

"Well," Newt says as they hurry to the east side of the estate, "I think they bought it.”

Exactly, Tina agrees. It was really just to do with the suspects. Because in the end, it's all part of the job.

—•—

**3\. March**

It's been a successful shift: six arrests, four of them quite major. Newt and Tina have taken hundreds of thousands of pounds of class A drugs off the streets and removed three guns from unlawful holders. Productive as they've been and pleased as they are, they’re also both exhausted as they get into the cruiser.

"Good day," Tina comments, starting up the engine.

"Mm," Newt agrees. "Excellent form, by the way."

"I know a thing or two," she replies teasingly. Her partner was arguably prouder than she was upon her recent promotion to Inspector.

"That you do," Newt affirms with a small crooked smile.

Tina remembers suddenly how he'd jumped in front of her when one of the perpetrators came at them with a machete earlier, before backup had arrived and they'd realized the gravity of their situation. Another officer had taken the attacker down just in the nick of time, but Newt's altruistic response goes far beyond instincts or being a good partner.

They haven't discussed what happened two months ago (thankfully everyone seems to have kept quiet about it as well) and their relationship remains restricted to the workplace only. No drinks, no hanging out, and _certainly_ no dates. Commissioner Seraphina Picquery makes sure of that.

Still, Tina thinks about that kiss much more than she cares to admit. She dropped the guy she had gone on a couple dates with before meeting Newt; since then, she's been pointedly, aggressively single. If he wanted to change that, of course...

"You do know that you have to put the car in drive if we are to go anywhere anytime soon," Newt says conversationally. Tina realizes that she's been sitting there in the driver's seat doing nothing like an idiot.

Before she can think twice, she turns towards Newt, cradles his face in her hands, and hauls him none too gracefully over the console to meet her halfway. His lips are just as fascinating as she remembered; he smells ridiculously good, and it takes everything she has not to get her hands on his bulletproof vest or the buttons of his shirt.

Tina breaks the kiss first because god _dammit,_ they're supposed to be professional. And they're both tired and probably emotional and still high on the excitement of the day, and she really isn't sure that Newt genuinely likes her. And this is just plain a _horrible_ idea; she and Queenie have had this conversation about twenty times since The Kiss.

"That was rude," Newt says a bit breathlessly, and his fingers ghost over Tina's pale wrists as he slowly relinquishes his grip.

Oh. Oh god. Oh god no. "Sorry," Tina apologizes, mortified. Of course that kiss, the first one, had been a one-time deal. To be fair, Newt had initiated it, which is partly why Tina felt he might be open to a repeat. Evidently not. Still, it certainly _was_  rude, overstepping her bounds like that. 

"No," Newt clarifies. "Stopping. Why on earth would you stop?"

Relieved, Tina starts, "Maybe because —" Newt is having none of it, however, which suits both of them just fine, and eventually she puts the car into drive.

It's a bit of a stretch, Tina thinks as she pulls out of her parking spot, but what just happened is really just a sign of appreciating your partner’s work ethic, right? Right. Just appreciation, nothing more. Yes, Tina decides, it’s all part of the job.

—•—

**4\. May**

It happens in a flash during a traffic stop gone wrong. The chase starts, and Tina calls for backup when the driver starts speeding the wrong direction down the carriageway. All of the police dispatched manage to box the offending car in — it's sparking and smoking and lost a wheel anyway — but when Newt leaps out of the cruiser and goes to detain the suspect, the deranged man slams his foot down on the accelerator in one last desperate, defiant bid, hitting Newt and sending him flying.

Tina gasps, seeing red, and positively hurtles out of the patrol car to seize the guy, bringing him straight to the ground in two seconds flat. The other officers search the totaled vehicle as she reads the culprit his rights, infuriated.

She hands the suspect over to the others as quickly as possible and rushes over to her partner's side. EMTs are less than a minute away; Newt is terrifyingly still. Tina leans down and pushes his bangs out of his face.

"Newt," she implores. He can't be seriously injured, he can't be, because he's her partner — undeniably has become her best friend as well, regardless of the work-only stipulation of their relationship  — and she has too many things to tell him before he can leave.

"Hello," Newt says weakly, opening his eyes and wincing. His left arm is at an awkward angle, sprained and possibly broken, and she wouldn't be surprised if he's gotten a concussion, but overall he's blessedly intact.

Tina is overwhelmed by the wave of relief that washes over her. She drops to her knees beside his head and, ignoring the fact that they are surrounded by their coworkers and EMTs and morbidly curious civilians, kisses Newt full on the mouth.

His lip is bloody, so she does her utmost to be careful, but he manages to raise his uninjured arm and run a hand through her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear and looking at her with something in his gaze that takes her breath away.

Commissioner Seraphina Picquery, who has just arrived on the scene, clears her throat loudly then, effectively stopping Tina before she gets herself fired. Hopefully.

Oh, god, this is bad. This is really bad.

But he’s so _cute._

"Glad you're alright," Tina tells Newt lightly, grinning even though there's no doubt she's going to be written up for her conduct. Then she turns to the emergency team, all of whom are spectating with varied looks of slack-jawed shock, disapproval, and amusement. "You can take it from here."

She walks away, still barely suppressing a smile. It's just relief, isn't it. Anyway, in some countries it's not _weird_ to kiss someone on the mouth in greeting. So this isn't that out of place, if you think about it. It's all part of the job.

—•—

**5\. June**

Tina and Newt both receive promotions at the beginning of June, Tina to Chief Superintendent and Newt to Inspector, after the two of them are instrumental in the incarceration of a known serial killer and drug dealer plotting a mass shooting at the local elementary school. Queenie is starting to get antsy with Tina, begging her to just stop faffing around and get together with Newt, but rules and consciences prevail.

“It's so obvious that you're dying to be together,” Queenie pleads.

“Well, we can't,” Tina repeats stoutly. "It's not ethical."

Queenie groans and throws a pillow over her face.

Newt and Tina have been partners for nine months now, which when you spend half your time with someone in dangerous situations is a considerable length. It certainly shows: Commissioner Picquery herself has reluctantly commended them for working so seamlessly together (albeit with traces of a suspicious and possibly knowing smile). It doesn't exactly help expand Tina's already extremely limited list of Reason Why I Should Not Date My Work Partner.

Some problems have arisen, though, namely that the combination of adrenaline pumping and the exhilaration of taking a criminal off the streets often makes it incredibly difficult for Tina not to do anything stupid. She's taken to ignoring a sweaty, flushed, panting Newt determinedly tackling and handcuffing a suspect and rattling off their rights in an authoritative voice. This avoidance eventually gets to the point where a concerned coworker asks if she's having second thoughts about her job.  _No, but I'm having a lot of general and thematically related thoughts about my partner._

Tina also starts to notice that Newt looks at her a lot. He looks at her when he does something well, when he says something clever, when someone else says something funny. One time he seems so focused on her that he nearly misses a fight breaking out behind them.

“Sorry, you've got something on your —” he starts.

Tina stares at him as though he’s gone mad, and then a civilian shouts at them because someone’s getting pummeled (she swears that save for these _rare_ incidences, which are literally _always_ related to Newt, she's 110% constantly vigilant and skilled at her job). It turns out later to be a bit of mustard on the corner of her mouth, and she finds it oddly sweet, if questionable, that Newt had attempted to mention it.

* * *

There’s an exceptionally difficult suspect to contend with on a horrible 90-degree day during the third week of June. The guy is putting up a proper fight, even with Newt and Tina — neither of whom are particularly weak or small — attempting to restrain him.

“Settle down now, you're not doing yourself any favors,” Newt says, struggling to pin the man's hands behind his back.

“Need backup?” Tina asks, reaching for her radio.

“Might do,” Newt replies through gritted teeth, and Tina makes the call. Meanwhile, the suspect attempts to head butt Newt, then spits.

Tina refrains from shouting some choice words at the suspect, instead clenching her jaw and saying, “Okay, _that's_ it," and using the exact maximum amount of permissible force to get the man onto the ground and apprehended. "You do _not_ spit in Inspector Scamander’s face," she informs the guy as she yanks him to his feet and marches him to the cruiser. _Not on my watch._ By the time the other cops show up, Newt is wiping his face and looking at his disheveled but victorious partner with the utmost pride.

* * *

June 30th and they're off duty. Newt has donned chino shorts, a button-down shirt, and aviators; Tina’s in running shorts and a tank top touting their police department’s logo. Upon being released a couple hours early, the partners decide to reward themselves for an incredibly lucrative month. Newt insists that there's a place 45 minutes away with _tremendous_ ice cream, so Tina cancels her dinner plans all too willingly and hops in his Camry.

As it would just so happen, Tina also turns out to be a relentless passenger seat driver. This discovery results in Newt threatening to write her a ticket for disorderly conduct and aggression towards a police officer; the proposed alternative is duct tape or a blindfold. Tina shuts up, grinning.

After enjoying some admittedly delicious ice cream (Tina panics when Newt takes out his wallet, and hurriedly says that she'll pay in her most firm _do not mess with me I am a policewoman who can make your life very difficult_ voice), the partners go for a walk down the boardwalk. It's odd: similar to their plainclothes excursions, yet radically different because try as she might, Tina cannot convince herself that a summer stroll down a beach boardwalk is just part of the job. Of course,  _this_ particular outing ends in a massive, supremely immature water fight before the entire beach, during which Tina accidentally splashes a teenage girl in the face; she apologizes profusely, but the girl replies cheerfully, “It's fine, you and your boyfriend are adorable,” and paddles off before either party can correct her.

Tina is incredibly not okay when Newt’s shirt goes transparent and it becomes apparent that he hasn't bothered with an undershirt. For her part, she refrains from whipping off her tank top and diving in, sports bra and running shorts passing for a bathing suit, as she might with her girlfriends. Despite her best efforts she’s fairly certain that as the water fight escalates both she and Newt are trying valiantly to keep their eyes off of each other without being too obvious about it.

It's going on five o'clock when, sandy and exhausted, they finally decide to head back to the car and grab dinner en route. Conversation across the restaurant table is easy, almost disconcertingly so. Tina shouldn't be surprised; it's just that this setting is so different from sitting comfortably in a cruiser or impersonal break room that she really wasn't sure how it would go. (It goes swimmingly.)

Unexpectedly, the couple’s waiter turns out to be an old high school and college friend of Tina’s. Jason, a year her senior, served as her big brother figure through her tumultuous teen and early adult years: he intimidated boys who wronged her, he showed up at her house when she had no one else in the middle of the night, and Tina always wondered what had happened to him. The past several years have aged Jason considerably; recognition doesn't dawn until he says, “Hi Teenie,” and watches in amusement as she exclaims, “Jason!” and jumps up to give him a big hug. Then he turns to Newt.

“Newt,” Newt introduces himself rather curtly. “And you are?”

“Jason,” Jason responds, shaking a leery Newt’s hand. He winks at his friend. “Good to see you, Teen.”

Later, when Newt goes to use the restroom, Jason checks to make sure the vicinity is clear and immediately comes over to interrogate Tina. “Who's the guy?” he demands, lapsing into Protective Older Brother mode.

Tina gives the abbreviated version of their history. “I can't tell —” she begins to lament, but then her date-not-date returns and Jason goes to help another table.

“How do you know him?” Newt asks a bit distastefully.

Tina explains their sibling-like relationship; Newt appears to relax. She notices that he's still jiggling his leg up and down beneath the table and flexing his hands nervously every so often despite their leisurely conversation.

When they return to the car, Tina realizes that she very much doesn't want to walk away from her partner. If this is going to be the only time they hang out like this, and she suspects that it may be, then she intends to get all that she can out of it. “Hey,” she says, placing a hand on Newt’s wrist when he goes to open her door. “Wanna go see a movie or something?”

His face lights up. “That,” he proclaims as she slips into the passenger seat, “is a splendid idea.”

* * *

They watch a movie which they are only mildly interested in, although it's still entertaining and when Newt laughs he looks at Tina again like it’s a reflex. Their shoulders are undeniably deliberately touching the entire time, which is minorly agonizing for Tina. She _swears_ that his hand is creeping towards hers, but then the credits roll and he jumps up, looking embarrassed.

Tina finds herself inexplicably overwhelmed with emotion when they can procrastinate no longer and Newt pulls up in front of her house. He walks her up the porch stairs, neither one able to muster up the words, and then stops in front of the doors, turning to face her. Shaking his bangs out of his face, he starts, “Well, it's been...”

“Hasn't it!” Tina interrupts tearfully. _Tearfully._ She really must pull it together. Newt’s eyes flicker anxiously between her, the doorway, and his car. Then Tina plucks up the courage to continue, “Listen, Newt, I wanted to thank you.”

His brow furrows in confusion. “What on earth for?”

Tina takes a step closer to him. “You're... the best partner I could ever have.” She cringes: not exactly what she was going for.

“Ditto,” Newt says quietly, and also takes a step closer. They're even in height, making eye contact incredibly difficult to avoid. Then he starts to back away and stammers, “Er, good — goodnight.”

The silence between them is heavy and expectant and pregnant and rife with something unidentifiable. _Newt gazes at Tina, awkwardly affectionate. He gently reaches forward and touches her hair. Lingering for a moment, they stare into each other’s eyes._

“So sorry, if you don't want —” he starts, but Tina has never heard anything stupider and draws him in.

It occurs to her very quickly that this is no one-off, hook-up kind of deal. The passion of their previous kisses had left her somewhat concerned that that’s all this will ever amount to — a tryst with her partner ending in hurt feelings and empty beds — and though her job comes before everything in her life, including a relationship, Tina is more than willing to make an exception. But Newt runs his hands down her arms reverently and waits (not insecurely, nor shyly, but respectfully) for her to move first. She does, and only pulls away because it would seem that they have things to discuss and she has every intention of inviting him in. His arms are still around her waist, her hands pressed against his chest, and he leans forward until their foreheads gently bump together.

“That,” Newt says, quirking the corner of his mouth, “was not part of the job.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Newt puts his arm around Tina at the movies, kisses her when she least expects it, and nearly gets them into a car accident because he's looking over at her.
> 
> 2\. Tina sighs and leans back against the pillows. “I'll have to thank the blood donor someday.”  
> “You're welcome,” Newt responds pleasantly.
> 
> 3\. Dangling from the delicate chain is a round silver pendant. On one side it says "N.S.," while the other says, simply, "yours."
> 
> 4\. Dear Tina: You asked why I like you. I thought I might cover a few of the main points, if I may. It took quite a lot of editing.
> 
> 5\. “I love you,” Tina blurts out.

**1\. August**

It may come as a surprise that it is not, in fact, easy or advisable to date a coworker. There are logistics, feelings, rules, and it is generally a messy business. If anyone is up to the task, however, it’s Inspector Newt Scamander and Chief Superintendent Tina Goldstein.

Commissioner Picquery has an exasperated sort of fondness for two of the best cops she's seen on the force in a long time. As such, she cuts Newt and Tina a _little_ slack, primarily because everyone’s been placing bets on when they’d finally snog and make it official this time, and she was the only one who predicted correctly. In regards to liability and bias and legal jargon, she lets a lot more slip than she probably ethically should. They sign some obligatory paperwork, “read” pages of boilerplate, and their boss generously lets them off the hook.

Which leaves Newt and Tina with an unexplored, tentative _something_ to muddle through. First, there's the matter of Defining The Relationship. It would seem that they were both worried this would be a crash-and-burn summer fling situation, but after their first official date together all of their doubts are sufficiently quelled. Newt puts his arm around Tina at the movies, kisses her when she least expects it, and nearly gets them into a car accident because he's looking over at her.

“That's why I drive the cruiser,” Tina says in amusement.

“It's your fault,” her partner complains.

This makes her indignant. “How?” she demands to know.

“You're distracting.”

Tina scoffs. “Yeah, takes one to know one.”

“Yes, but you're _pretty.”_

Tina feels a lot of feelings but only presses her lips together and says nothing, facing forward and watching the road.

“Are you alright?” Newt asks a moment later.

“Keep your eyes on the road, Inspector,” Tina chides him, but it warms her heart to see that he looks genuinely concerned. She leans over and kisses him on the cheek. “Fine. I'm fine.”

* * *

They keep work strictly professional; no more makeout sessions on CCTV, and they do their utmost to act like platonic partners, with varying degrees of success. One bitter suspect asks, as they're detaining him, how long they've been having sex (although he uses rather less polite words). He then continues hurling a barrage of sexual remarks at both parties until Newt tells him to stuff it and they haul him into the back of the police van. Later, the partners get into a stupid argument about who gave it away, forgetting momentarily that they're dealing with mentally unstable and volatile criminals probably also hopped up on drugs.

Lucky for Newt, he has long passed the best friend test; Queenie is ecstatic when Tina reports to her that yes, she and Newt are officially dating.

“Break her heart and I'll break your face,” she warns Newt when she drops by at the end of his and Tina’s shift. Then she beams and pats him on the head. “Congratulations, honey.”

* * *

Law enforcement can be a very enjoyable job, and it’s made all the more enjoyable for both Newt and Tina by getting to watch one another in action. Tina almost cheers out loud one blistering hot day when Newt manages to chase down a teenager caught with a knife who could probably run a four-minute mile. The suspect goes to jail, Newt goes down in their department’s informal hall of fame, and CCTV footage of the epic foot pursuit is saved for posterity.

“It was nothing,” he says with contrived modesty, once he can finally breathe again and they’re back in air-conditioned bliss. He’s stripped down to a thin white undershirt (which, in Tina’s disgruntled opinion considering the women milling around them, leaves very little to the imagination), although he’s still wearing the bottom half of his uniform.

Tina hits him. “Oh, shut up.”

“Are you impressed with me?” Newt inquires, and swings his legs up to rest his feet on her lap.

She sighs. “I’m always impressed with you.”

“Really?” He’s slouching so far down in his chair that he’s almost horizontal.

Tina rolls her eyes, pushes his feet off her lap (he catches himself in the nick of time), and walks away. When she looks back, Newt is still watching her and smiling.

**—•—**

**2\. October**

They're walking down a quiet street after a lovely dinner date. Newt ducks into a 24-hour shop to use the bathroom. Tina, stupidly, stays outside by herself.

While she's waiting, a guy jumps out of the shadows and has a knife to her throat in the time it takes for her to locate the source of the movement. Before she can scream, he slashes the base of her neck and sticks a bandana over her mouth. Tina brings a hand up to the wound, registering only dimly the severity of the situation, when Newt hurtles out of nowhere and has the man on the sidewalk in about two seconds flat. He whips out his mobile, one knee pinning the culprit to the ground, and dials 999; Tina falls onto the pavement as blood seeps through her fingers.

Newt swears and positions himself on the ground behind his girlfriend, placing his hands over hers to try and stem the bleeding while they wait for emergency services to arrive.

“Hey,” Tina says, everything a bit woozy now. “If I don't make it, it was good while it lasted.”

“No,” Newt says, his voice shaking as much as his hands, “you are going to make it.” He holds her like it’s his own life on the line, and as Tina’s eyelids flutter he catches her gaze desperately, those ever-startling green eyes begging her not to let go. The suspect, who’s been rather battered by a certain enraged off-duty cop, tries to stir. Without blinking an eye, Newt leans forward, one arm still firmly around his injured girlfriend, and punches the guy in the face.

“Don't get yourself fired,” Tina mumbles, feeling very light-headed. Sparks start to erupt in her vision as the sound of sirens draw nearer.

“Don't die,” Newt pleads.

“Sorry,” she apologizes oh so dramatically, and blacks out.

* * *

Tina wakes up in a hospital bed. The policewoman in her immediately takes stock of the situation and is incredibly miffed to have gone unconscious and missed out on all the action.

“Tina!” Newt cries before she can get a proper look around. He launches himself out of the chair and throws his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder.

“What happened?” Tina asks, dazed.

He pulls back to gape at her. “You got slashed by an assailant, I can't imagine you wouldn't —”

“No, I know _that” —_ it hasn't escaped her notice that she has a line of twelve large stitches along her neck — “but what happened after?”

“They took you to hospital,” he says as though Tina must be very dense to not understand the general proceedings for someone losing liters of blood. Then he falters. “Erm... I got in trouble, just a _smidge,_ because I _may_ have used excessive force while off duty, but I daresay Commissioner Picquery was rather pleased with me.” He sits back down in his chair, attempting to look contrite.

Tina thinks hard. She lost a _lot_ of blood; it occurs to her that there’s more than one needle sticking out of her arm and, looking up, sees why.

“Did I really need a blood transfusion?” she asks, slightly annoyed that she hadn't somehow managed to keep more blood in.

Newt nods. “You did excellently.”

“I didn't know there was a wrong way to lie unconscious while a doctor shoots someone else’s blood into my veins, but sure,” Tina says wryly, and wiggles her fingers a little. Then she sighs and leans back against the pillows. “I'll have to thank the blood donor someday.”

“You're welcome,” Newt responds pleasantly.

“What?” Her eyes fly to a square of gauze taped to the crook of his elbow. “You — this is your blood?” She gestures to the bag above her head.

Newt smiles. “The very same.”

Why is that so sweet? She might be insane (she probably is), but it's almost... romantic. “Thanks,” she says dumbly.

“Not a problem,” he replies, and scoots closer to her. “Does it hurt much?”

“How do you think getting your throat gouged out by a —” Tina starts, when Newt rudely interrupts by leaning over and kissing her just as a nurse walks in.

“So sorry,” Newt apologizes, smirking, and steps back respectfully so she can check on Tina.

“Ignore him,” Tina says, refusing to look at her boyfriend because he's over in the corner looking adorable and being distracting with his stupid lopsided smile seemingly reserved just for her and stupid overgrown fringe that she should find annoying and unkempt but instead aesthetically appreciates as much as she does the rest of him.

“I've seen worse,” the nurse says in amusement as buttons beep and keys clack. She moves efficiently about, making small adjustments and jotting numbers down on a clipboard, and asks Tina a barrage of questions while she removes the cannula. Then she winks. “Although I _will_ say, this one really does seem in love with you.” With that incredibly awkwardness-inducing statement, she waves cheerfully at both of them and leaves the room.

**—•—**

**3\. December**

Christmas rolls around and work is in full swing. Burgling and pick-pocketing are increasingly prevalent during the shopping season, leading to quite a lot of pursuits and a few undercover operations to infiltrate known gangs.

These operations often involve Tina flirting with gang members at the bar while Newt waits to apprehend the suspect and take all of them into custody. Newt doesn't mind waiting or getting profanities shouted at him. What he does mind quite a lot is the part involving Tina and other (usually) men. His displeasure is such that one night he goes so far as to threaten to fine one guy whom he declares was drinking and flirting too much.

"What would you even put on the ticket?" Tina asks later.

Newt tilts his head contemplatively. "Mm... flirting with Inspector Scamander's girlfriend," he decides.

Tina bites back a smile. "Well, I guess I'm glad I have a protective boyfriend. Never really had that before," she says, turning the ignition.

"I had never been the protective type," Newt states, "until I found someone worth protecting."

They come very close to making enemies with a lamppost when Tina, intending to put on the brakes so she can kiss her boyfriend, accidentally hits the accelerator instead. They smash into a few bins and promptly get reported by a civilian as suspicious characters causing a public disturbance.

"Would you like me to write her a ticket for drink driving?" Newt inquires into the radio, once the situation has been straightened out and the civilian is done berating them.

"CCTV can see through car windows, you know," comes the operator's smart response.

Tina bangs her head on the steering wheel.

After finding out about this particular lapse in professionalism, between the empty threat to the overly flirtatious gang member and the injured garbage cans, Commissioner Picquery asks Tina if she needs to review the inner workings of a car and gives Newt a mean dressing-down about his relationship with his partner  _not_ affecting his performance. Newt looks suitably penitent, but goes and kisses Tina behind the water bubbler in the break room anyway.

Despite the hullabaloo, the duo end up shutting down an entire gang thanks to that particular interception. Tina threatens to fine Newt for excessive jealousy. She really doesn't mind, though; when his turn comes around and he lays it on _way_ too thick with a known street prostitute, she nearly misses the signal because she's so busy glaring in their direction.

Either way, there's quite a lot of action and running around and “sorry we can't let you go yet because there's been a fight with a gun involved and seven suspects” late nights. Newt and Tina start arguing more, mostly out of exhaustion, and Tina is slightly resentful of Queenie’s new relationship with Jacob, someone she met when he made a 999 call and later ran into at his bakery. _They’re_ still in the honeymoon phase, and besides, Queenie is beautiful and perfect.

“Newt’s in love with you,” Queenie insists.

“Sure,” Tina replies dubiously.

“Oh, Teen,” her long-suffering best friend sighs, “when are you gonna start believing that people aren't gonna leave?”

Tina doesn't have a good comeback and instead grabs the microwave popcorn and hits play on _Gilmore Girls._

It's been almost a year since Tina and Newt’s first kiss and Tina is starting to stress about Christmas, which is fast approaching. However Newt may feel — and deep down, she doesn't _really_ doubt the solidity of their relationship — she isn't sure exactly where they stand and, accordingly, what level of gift-giving may be expected.

They go to the obligatory department Christmas party in mid-December; Tina wears a becoming open-backed red dress and Newt in semi formal attire almost kills her. Later, Newt catches Tina under the mistletoe, wrapping his arm around her waist and tugging her towards him in a comedically suave move. He gazes at her so affectionately she isn't sure they should be doing this in public before kissing her soundly in front of everyone. Tina doesn't care excessively about what others think, but she evidently cares more than her boyfriend.

“People will talk,” she warns him after the mistletoe incident.

He shrugs dismissively. “Let them talk.”

“It's unprofessional.”

Newt smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. “And yet here we are.”

He makes a compelling point, and he's wearing a bowtie and looking at her like she's the most wonderful thing he's ever beheld, so Tina lets it slide.

* * *

They work together on Christmas Eve. Domestic dispute calls are rampant, and some idiots with a 6-inch knife are terrorizing the streets near an elementary school.

For the first time, the suspects almost slip out of Tina's grasp. She gets them in the end, but only with the help of CCTV and India 99 and another unit. This "failure" plunges her into a deep state of self-criticism, anger, and insecurity. She shouldn't _need_ help; even as a rookie, she could operate on CCTV alone, and sometimes less than that. Eleventh-hour successes aren't part of the equation for Tina Goldstein. It's unacceptable.

“You are still amazing,” Newt says, gripping her by the shoulders. “Nobody is perfect.”

“Except you,” Tina says bitterly.

Newt’s eyes widen in surprise, but he falls silent.

* * *

Because Tina apparently enjoys shutting people out when she's being hard on herself, she and Newt spend Christmas Eve alone. Queenie calls her about 10 times before giving up and leaving an encouraging voicemail laced with exasperation and disapproval.

Christmas morning Tina wakes with eyes gritty from crying and muscles sore from her failed endeavors. She drags herself out of bed, trying not to think about her boyfriend, or really anything at all, and plods morosely into her kitchen, where she stops in confusion.

Sitting at the center of the table is a small box and a card.

Some sort of emotion blooming in her chest, Tina goes over warily and opens the gift to reveal... a necklace. Tina usually hates necklaces, and can't really wear jewelry on the job, but this one is thin and minimalistic and easily tucked under her shirt. Dangling from the delicate chain is a round silver pendant. On one side it says _N.S.,_ while the other says, simply, _yours._

Finally tearing her eyes away from the necklace, Tina opens the note, eyes already stinging with unshed tears. 

 

> _Dear Tina,_
> 
> _You are perfect to me._
> 
> _In every way, shape, and form imaginable._
> 
> _Happy Christmas._
> 
> _Yours,_
> 
> _PC Scamander_

When she finally looks up, sniffling pathetically, Newt is standing in front of her wearing a look of mingled trepidation, warmth, affection, and concern.

“Sorry, you did give me a key —” he begins, and Tina throws herself at him.

“I'm sorry for being difficult,” she murmurs. “I know I can be... high maintenance.”

“That's alright, though,” Newt says, pulling back to kiss her gently on the forehead, “because I like maintaining you.”

“Thank you for the necklace,” she whispers, and he takes it from her hand and clasps it round her neck, carefully pushing her hair aside so it doesn't get caught.

“Thank _you,”_ Newt responds.

“For what?”

“For... being you,” he says, and it’s so cliche Tina gives a watery laugh. “You really are a terrific policewoman. Can't think of anyone I would rather have policing me.”

“Yeah, well, you're biased,” Tina replies flippantly, full to bursting with emotion and impromptu holiday spirit. It hits her suddenly, as Newt reaches for her hands, that she has a gift for him. And it seriously pales in comparison with what he gave her.

Still, she passes a large flat envelope over to him, hoping for the best. He withdraws its contents and freezes: inside is a ticket to an African Safari, as well as a VIP pass to meet with Newt’s zoological idol at a lecture in the spring.

Newt’s hopes of a future in zoology had been dashed in uni, when a critical and toxic ex-girlfriend severely impacted his self-esteem, and his father’s death caused a major financial strain on his family, forcing him to reconsider his career path. And so he had to let go of his plans to earn a PhD., instead settling for a practical degree in criminal justice. Newt’s only spoken about it a few times, and Tina gets the feeling that if he could do anything, he would get that PhD.

“I know you really wanted to be a zoologist,” Tina says quietly, “and you couldn't. But I figured this would be the next best thing. I saved up some money to help you out, and the guy running the Safari has a zoology degree, so I'm sure he’ll talk to you about it.” She hesitates. “I hope you like it?”

“I love it,” Newt says fervently, face lighting up as he looks down at the papers in his hands. “Tina, _thank_ you.”

“Well, you gave me your blood, so I think I'll be paying off that debt for awhile,” she says. “There's, uh, also a letter.”

Newt’s face lights up even more; he removes the card from its envelope and sits down on the couch to read. Tina sits nervously beside him.

When he finishes, he looks up at her and his eyes are shining with something that could be love and also possibly tears.

“Did I make you _cry?”_ she asks half-teasingly.

“No,” he blatantly lies. Then he folds up the card and tucks it into his breast pocket. “Thank you, Tina.”

“It was the least I could do, honestly,” she says self-consciously.

“Did you mean it?” he asks, and she’s shocked that he would ever doubt her.

“Are you accusing me of lying?” she retorts. But he’s serious, so she sobers and nods. “Of course I meant it.”

Newt seems to run out of words, so instead he wordlessly tosses everything onto the coffee table and steals Tina’s breath away in what is arguably the most expressive, most tender kiss she has received in her life. She isn’t sure how Newt manages to convey so much through touch, but she’s definitely, _definitely_ not complaining. If anything, it makes her worry that she will never be able to express _exactly_ what she feels for him. At least the card was well-received.

“Tina,” Newt says later, when they’re tangled up on the couch and talking in bursts of conversation followed by comfortable, sleepy silences.

Tina looks up at him reluctantly, quite loath to stray too far from her current position. Newt’s arms are wrapped snugly around her, his lips are pressed to her hair, occasionally migrating to her temple or forehead or cheek, and he traces intricate designs on her bare skin.

"Can I help you?" she asks dryly. 

Newt touches the scar on her neck gently, then brushes a finger over her new necklace. “You are stunning,” he says.

Tina beams, and now it’s her turn to steal _his_ breath away. This is perhaps better-received even than the card, and Tina has never felt happier.

 _You are perfect to me,_ she rereads the note later, when Newt has fallen asleep with his head on her lap. Happy Christmas, indeed.

**—•—**

**4\. February**

February rolls around and with it a rise in crimes of passion. But it’s a routine drunk and disorderly that’s Newt’s undoing.

He’s standing at the patrol car, door open, to keep an eye on a handcuffed and irascible gentleman. They go back and forth, the suspect demanding to know why he’s been taken into custody, before he finally appears to quiet down. Newt rests his arm on the top of the door, waiting.

Without warning, the suspect leaps forwards, seizes Newt by the neck, and smashes his head against the bottom of the cruiser repeatedly as Newt grunts in pain and tries to fight back. He can almost _feel_ his brain hitting the back of his skull, is briefly concerned that the bloke will actually split his head open, and prays for someone to come.

Luckily, a nearby police officer (not Tina) rushes over and pulls Newt away from the assailant, calling for a blanket as another PC joins them. “All units 43. Four-three,” someone says urgently into the radio while the first police officer places Newt on the ground.

“He hit you?”

“Mm. Smashed my head on the floor.” Newt shuts his eyes, pain lancing through his skull.

“Okay, okay, it’s okay,” they say soothingly.

“Has someone got the suspect?” another officer calls.

“Yeah, I’ve got him,” someone else answers.

“Where’s his partner?”

 _Finally_ Tina appears and there’s a loud thump as she ostensibly seizes the suspect and all but slams him against the patrol car.

“That’s not necessary, Goldstein,” Newt hears.

“It absolutely is,” she replies evenly, and he can exactly visualize the fierce look on her face. It almost makes him smile, except for the dire situation and the fact that his brain may be seriously compromised by this attack, and that would be no good. After all, until now Tina had been the only one of the couple to sustain any sort of serious injury — so it seems fitting that Newt’s turn would come soon enough.

Now, through the buzzing in his ears and a pounding headache, Newt can dimly make out Tina giving the suspect a proper, excessively loud lecture — nobody stops her — as he tries to think straight. If his brain was bleeding, he would probably be dead, right? His entire body hurts now...

The last thing he’s aware of is his girlfriend gripping his fingers as EMTs rush over.

“You’re okay, Newt,” she promises, tugging his hand to press it against her chest, over her heart, before she lets go and he drowns in a sea of uniforms.

* * *

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Tina says weakly when Newt opens his eyes. “It’s just a bad concussion. You’ve been sleeping on and off.”

“It — what?” he splutters.

“You’ve been sleeping, you were only unconscious for a few minutes —”

“It’s Valentine’s Day?” Newt is positively horrified.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Tina says quickly, and she sounds genuinely fine. Newt, however, is absolutely _not_ fine, because how could he _possibly_ miss _Valentine’s Day?_

“When can I leave?” he asks urgently.

“Don’t tell me you had some romantic date planned,” Tina says teasingly. “They want to keep an eye on you, make sure it doesn’t turn into anything more serious.”

“So perhaps in an hour?” Newt suggests hopefully.

Tina stands up and kisses him on the forehead. “Rest up.” That’s a no, then.

* * *

Later, they dim all the lights so Newt can rest, casting the room in darkness. He squints to make out Tina sitting a few feet away.

“Hey, Newt?” she asks quietly, resting her elbows on her knees.

He lets his eyes drift shut. “Mm.”

“Why do you like me?”

What on _earth_ would compel _Tina Goldstein_ to question why Newt would like her? “I — I...” he stammers. Which, when it comes to romantic professions, is relatively weak.

“Oh,” and in the dark he can tell Tina's embarrassed, “never mind. You should sleep.” She gets to her feet hurriedly, before he can do much as try to fathom 1. why she would need to _ask_ and 2. how he's supposed to articulately answer without writing a twenty-page essay.

“Tina,” he says ever so convincingly, but she's gone.

* * *

When Newt wakes, Tina’s texted him that she has to run to the CCTV command center to review some footage, and will visit after dinner. She doesn't _sound_ upset, which is promising. Newt, therefore, gets right down to business.

“You shouldn’t do that,” the nurse chides him when she comes in to check his vitals, and threatens to take the pen and notebook on his lap. “Rest up now, honey.”

He tugs the offending items out of her grasp. “It's important,” he insists.

She raises an eyebrow. “Really.”

“Government business,” he proclaims.

“You're off duty, Mr. Scamander.”

Tina walks in on a tug-of-war between nurse and patient.

“Oh boy,” she sighs, dropping her keys on the wheeled tray. “Just let him have it. Trust me, it'll only get worse from here.”

The nurse is palpably disapproving, but gives up and slams the door as she leaves.

“What are you doing?” Tina asks, craning her head.

“Nothing,” Newt says quickly, and slips the notebook under his pillow.

“Newt...”

“How was work?”

“Terrible without you,” she replies with a wry smile.

“Excellent,” he approves. “Wouldn't want you running off with some posh, dashing sergeant.”

“Chances of that are pretty slim,” Tina reassures him, draping her jacket on the back of the chair.

He reaches out and she stands by his bed so he can wrap one arm around her waist. It's awkward, but Newt doesn't want to get Tina kicked out for intruding on a poor patient’s bed. She doesn't seem to mind, anyway; only looks down at him fondly and brushes back his hair.

Her mobile rings presently, however, and it's Queenie, who's had an emergency and needs emotional support ASAP. Queenie very rarely, if ever, makes calls like these, so a concerned Tina kisses Newt quickly and high tails it to her best friend.

* * *

When Tina returns, Newt is sound asleep and she’s positive she has never seen a more endearing sight in her life. At least now they’ve let him sleep without someone two inches from his face waking him up every 30 minutes. His hair is all tousled, his mouth is just slightly open, and every worry wrinkle he’s gotten over the years is smoothed out. At home, Tina wakes up regularly to a sleeping Newt, and there’s something about his vulnerability — particularly when he stirs and reaches for her unconsciously — that makes her feel an assortment of very strong feelings. She’s fairly certain he’s guilty of watching her sleep as well, but she never opens her eyes and he eventually gets up or nods off half on top of her.

Tina tosses her jacket on the chair and stands akimbo in the middle of the dark room, trying to decide whether she should sleep here, or go back to her apartment. Before she can choose, a nurse comes in to check on Newt.

“He left something for you, darling,” she says when she sees Tina.

“What?”

“Oh,” the nurse says, crossing over to him, “looks like he forgot to leave it out.” Gently, she tugs a folded piece of paper from his grasp and hands it to Tina.

“How do you know that’s for me?” Tina asks suspiciously.

With an amused smile, the nurse unfolds it and starts reading. “Dear Tina, you asked why I —”

“Okay, I get it,” Tina says, snatching it back and feeling quite embarrassed.

“You’re very lucky,” the nurse remarks as she bustles around the patient, somehow managing not to wake him.

“I am,” Tina affirms honestly. She knows she is. Newt is kind, and generous, and smart, and incredibly loyal. He’s frankly a lot better than she suspects she actually deserves, sometimes. Yes, he has plenty of annoying quirks, and sometimes they want to strangle each other, but by and large she wonders regularly how exactly the universe came together to assign her and Newt as partners.

The nurse finishes taking Newt’s vitals and leaves quietly. Tina takes a deep breath — she has no idea why she feels so nervous — and starts to read.

 

> _Dear Tina,_
> 
> _You asked why I like you. I thought I might cover a few of the main points, if I may. It took quite a lot of editing._
> 
>   1. _You are the strongest, most courageous person I have ever met._
>   2. _You care about people who are unkind to you. Including me, when I'm cross._
>   3. _You have such passion for your job that it inspires all of us, especially yours truly._
>   4. _You are funny and intelligent and manage to keep me on my toes wherever we go and whatever we do._
>   5. _You have a dimple on your cheek that appears when I've done something to make you happy or proud. I noticed it the first day we met, and I am quite fond of it._
>   6. _When you concentrate on anything, including a cup of coffee, you look like you're saving the world._
> 

> 
> _And you are beautiful, of course._
> 
> _You are not part of the job, but you are part of me._
> 
> _The best part of me._
> 
> _Happy Valentine's Day._
> 
> _Yours,_
> 
> _Newt_

**—•—**

**5\. April**

Their first “I love you” is about as unromantic as could be. Tina is covered in vomit, and Newt is well on his way to the A&E, having contracted a nasty stomach bug from a kidnapping suspect. The sickness escalates quickly; Newt regretfully backs out of a shift, leaving Tina with some other idiot who’s not her boyfriend, and two hours later is calling her with a 104 degree fever asking where the kryptonite is stored and whether it’s Batman or The Joker coming over to dinner tonight. Tina excuses herself and rushes home before he can do anything stupid.

“So sorry,” Newt apologizes when she bursts into his room.

“I’m taking you to the A&E,” she says firmly. “Come on.”

When she tries to tug him to his feet, however, he warns her to stop and throws up all over her uniform.

“Thanks, Newt,” she says flatly.

Even in his feverish state, he looks positively horrified. “Oh, bugger — Tina — I’m —”

“I love you,” Tina blurts out. _Why?_

Newt’s eyes widen hazily. “My god, you’ve got it too,” he says in alarm. “You’re delirious, how did —”

“No,” Tina says hastily, “I’m fine. I’m not delirious. I’m...” Covered in your vomit. “I love you.”

“I’m hallucinating,” Newt declares with conviction.

Tina grabs a dirty t-shirt off the floor (sadly, she’s the culprit; Newt has proven to be the organized one, always shouting at her for leaving wet towels and clothes everywhere) and does her best to wipe herself down. Then she uses it to dab at Newt’s mouth before leaning forward and kissing him gently. It isn’t the most pleasant of kisses, given that he’s just thrown up and is still looking rather green, but pleasant or not, Tina never turns down a chance to kiss her boyfriend. “I love you,” she repeats. If _that_ doesn’t prove it to him, she doesn’t know what will.

It’s not until they’re in the A&E and Newt is in a bed being hooked up to fluids that it occurs to him to respond. “I love you too,” he states. Given that he’s been babbling about purple cows and James Bond’s hair dryer, and that Tina’s been busy filling out paperwork and phoning his mom, he goes largely ignored. The nurse tending to him assumes he’s just professing his love to her. But then he tugs on her arm insistently, and gestures to his girlfriend (whose name he’s momentarily forgotten, but who he still thinks is very pretty).

“I think he’s trying to say something to you, hon,” the nurse informs Tina.

Tina looks up from the clipboard on her lap. “Hmm?”

“I love you too,” Newt says loudly.

Tina’s heart soars, and she comes right over and kisses him again despite the fact that he is very, very contagious and the nurse is ready to book Tina a room right then and there.

Sure enough, Tina gets horrifically sick 24 hours later, and Newt won’t stop apologizing.

“I’m gonna go with worth it,” she croaks as he sits by her, tenderly stroking her burning forehead and armed with a bin.

His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Indubitably,” he affirms, and kisses her.

_I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm kind of into this AU. What would you guys think of a part 3? They still need to get married and stuff, so, you know...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Queenie nearly screams when she receives a picture message from Newt. Of an engagement ring. A very, very expensive, nearly five-figure engagement ring.
> 
> 2\. Nobody can tell they’re dating, really. Except for one particular arrest in August.
> 
> 3\. The first time Tina sees Newt cry in earnest is when they respond to a domestic abuse call.
> 
> 4\. "No," Newt says seriously, because it is imperative that Tina understand, "I'm lunk and I druv you." He frowns, shakes his head. "Lunk. Drunk. I love you."
> 
> 5\. “Tina, will you marry me?” he asks anxiously.
> 
> TW for mentions of domestic abuse. It's not graphic, but if you don't want anything to do with it, skip part 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve now upped the chapter count to 4. I might do a chapter 5, depending how chapter 4 goes.
> 
> Also, Pepsi Blue is available in a couple countries, but nowhere that would make it easily acquirable.
> 
> Enjoy drunk Newt. I kind of want more of him.

**1\. June**

Queenie nearly screams when she receives a picture message from Newt. Of an engagement ring. A very, very expensive, nearly five-figure engagement ring.

 _Do you suppose she would like it?_ Newt inquires.

“You okay, doll?” Jacob asks next to Queenie.

“No,” she replies, frenziedly texting Newt back in all caps. She hits send, then shows the photo to her boyfriend.

“Whoa,” he says, impressed. “He’s really serious about this one, huh.”

Queenie beams, because if anyone’s deserving of a proposal it’s her best friend. Tina may be prickly at times, and she may have had rather poor luck in the relationship department until now, but Newt is _perfect_ for her.

“Ab-so-lutely,” Queenie affirms. _“Really_ serious.”

* * *

> _OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!! NEWT!!!!!_

Queenie’s text is punctuated by several emojis with faces varying in surprise, shock, excitement, and... the dead one. Why would she be dead? Newt shakes his head.

 _That’s a yes, then?_ He thanks the jeweler and pockets the velvet box.

> _NEWTTTT!!!_

_That *is* indeed my name._

> _S;LADFJ;AOIGH;IOADS9P_

_...is that a yes?_

> _TEENIE’S GONNA GET MARRIED_

_I said nothing of the sort!_

> _YOU BOUGHT AN ENGAGEMENT RING, YOU DOOFUS_

_Yes, well, I have no intention of presenting it to her anytime in the near future. It’s far too soon._

> _WHEN ARE YOU GONNA PROPOSE????_

_I don’t know! Leave me alone._

> _It was love at first sight. I KNOW IT WAS_

_I don’t see how that should be a relevant conversation point._

> _YOU’RE GONNA MARRY HER SO HARD_

_What on earth does that mean?_

_Never mind, I don’t want to know._

> _YOU LOVE HER_

_We are done here._

—•—

**2\. August**

Nobody can tell they’re dating, really. Except for one particular arrest in August.

Newt and Tina are in plainclothes, successfully detaining a violent drug dealer high as a kite. Tina’s called for backup, and they have the suspect facedown on the ground after he tried to assault both officers. Newt rattles off the criminal's rights, still pinning the guy to the pavement with his knee.

Tina glances up and frowns. “You have dirt on your face.”

“It’s fine,” Newt insists, and smears the rest of it over his cheek.

“You got it on your shirt!”

“So?”

“Newt, your mom _just_ bought you that shirt, I _told_ you, you shouldn’t wear it on duty —”

Newt rolls his eyes. “It’s only a shirt.”

“It’s an expensive, high-quality shirt,” Tina argues. “I don’t know if dirt stains will come out of it.”

He looks at her like she's insane. “It is _literally_ only a shirt.”

The suspect tries to stir. Tina asks him whether he’ll calm down and comply if they let him stand. He swears at her, so she pushes him back down and faces her boyfriend again.

“Sorry, babe,” she says unapologetically, and adds a little smirk which she knows annoys him. Girlfriend of the year.

“What, are you two married or something?” the man on the ground grunts.

“No!” Tina says, sounding horrified. She certainly wouldn’t oppose to some sort of proposal, but it’s abundantly clear that _that_ isn’t going to happen. At this point, any implication that she and Newt might someday marry causes her to panic, because god forbid he think she’s hankering after an engagement ring.

Newt casts her a sharp look and doesn’t speak again until backup arrives.

—•—

**3\. October**

The first time Tina sees Newt cry in earnest is when they respond to a domestic abuse call. They manage to get past the husband to find the woman, badly beaten and in need of medical care, sitting in her bedroom. It's a typical situation, not one that Tina is ever comfortable with, but one that she's at least grown to accept. The most important thing is that they're rescuing these victims and putting their abusers behind bars where they belong.

Newt goes missing as soon as everything with the arrest is squared away. Tina is still speaking with neighbors and inputting data into the computer when she realizes that her boyfriend has disappeared. Fearing the worst, she hurries back to the cruiser and finds Newt sitting disconsolately in the front passenger seat, leaning forward with his elbows on the dashboard and his chin resting on his forearms.

“Hey, you okay?” she asks.

He turns when the door opens. “No,” he replies, and his voice breaks.

“Oh no,” Tina says in dismay. She drops to her knees next to her boyfriend, looking up at him. “We’ve taken these calls before,” she points out gently, rubbing him on the back.

He gazes at her bleakly and sniffles. “Yes, but I never _spoke_ to them.”

Tina remembers now that the woman, old enough to be his mother, had somehow gravitated to Newt, called him “son,” grasped his wrist, and begged him to save her. Tina was so busy dealing with logistics and keeping everything straight that she didn’t notice. But when they were getting her out of the house, the victim had only spoken to Newt.

“How can he do that?” Newt asks hatefully, every line of his body tense. “I would not be able to live with myself.”

“Well, I guess just never do that to me and we'll be good,” Tina says in a lame and foolish attempt to somehow lighten the mood.

Newt recoils. “You would think me _capable_ of such a thing?”

Oh god. That was not a good idea. Tina cringes. “No! That isn’t what I was —”

Newt shakes his head. “Please leave,” he says bitterly.

Tina’s heart breaks. “Newt...”

“Go,” and his voice is harsh and grating. With the sneaking suspicion that there’s more to this than meets the eye, Tina obliges, kissing Newt’s cheek as she gets to her feet.

* * *

“Oh my god, are you kidding me?” Sophia Ollerton, Newt’s cousin and best friend, groans when Tina calls. “If he doesn’t stop with his damn histrionics...”

“Do you know why he was so upset?”

Sophia sighs so loudly it hurts Tina’s ear where it’s pressed up to the phone. “Leta Lestrange.”

“What?” The name is vaguely familiar — Leta is the ex-girlfriend from uni, the one who sent Newt plummeting into a terrible state of low self-esteem when she discouraged him from pursuing zoology.

“Christ, it’s a long story," Sophia responds unhelpfully. "Honestly, it sounds like it’s a combination of the victim’s resemblance to his mother, and the fact that Leta was from an abusive household. She didn’t take well to Newt trying to help. Poor kid... if he can’t fix something he kinda freaks out. It’s been a party, dealing with that my entire life.”

Tina poses the burning question. “What can I do?”

There’s a long pause, then another sigh. “I dunno. I bet he just got way over-sensitive — which is his favorite thing to do, y'know — and didn’t like to think that he might ever go that direction. You and I both know he’d apologize to a mosquito for killing it, but sometimes Newt’s inner workings are... questionable. He tends to not be particularly realistic.”

“So do I talk to him about it?”

“Could do. It wouldn’t hurt to let him know that he needs to take you less seriously, and that you’re there if he needs anything. You know, throw in some romantic BS, reassure him, and see if he comes around. He will eventually.”

Tina nods slowly. “Okay. I’ll... I’ll do that. Thanks, Sophia.”

“I miss that gormless idiot,” Sophia adds wistfully. “Give him a hug from me, wouldja? I’ll drop by and visit if I’m ever in the area.”

* * *

Tina pulls the cruiser to the side of the road the next day. Newt’s been screening her calls, and while they haven’t moved in together it’s become so normal to stay the night at one another’s places that not going to bed with Newt being absurdly cuddly, and not waking up to his crooked just-for-Tina smile, feels _wrong._

“You good?” Tina asks bracingly.

Newt stares out the window.

The policewoman — that's right, she's a bloody _policewoman,_ she can't let this get to her now — steels herself and takes the plunge. “Look, Newt,” she says carefully.

“Did you talk to Soph?” he asks with a promising trace of annoyance.

“Maybe.”

“Prat.”

“She’s sweet.”

Newt softens. “I know.” Sophia’s been as good as his little sister since birth, and Tina knows for a fact that he misses her. “How much did she divulge?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tina answers hurriedly, not wanting to dredge up any painful memories. “But, um... I’m here for you. If you need me, or anything.” Okay, so reassuring people and providing emotional support has never been her forte. “It was a joke, too. What I said. You’d never hurt me, ever, and — and I love you. So.”

Newt is silent for a very long time, so long that Tina gets slightly impatient because sooner or later they’re going to be called. As it is, they're seriously slacking, and "lover's quarrels" or similar is definitely not a suitable excuse for negligence. Then Newt reaches across the console and hugs Tina tight, so much so she possibly can’t breathe, but that’s alright. “I can be high maintenance too, I suppose,” he admits, still clutching her with a hint of desperation.

“Eh, it’s fine,” Tina says, and smiles. “I guess I like maintaining you.”

—•—

**4\. December**

For Christmas, Newt gives Tina a giant pack of Pepsi Blue. The beverage was discontinued in the United States in 2004, and she once bemoaned the loss of what was — for the brief two years in which it was on the market — her guilty pleasure. It’s a small gesture but it means a lot that Newt remembered a comment made during what was literally their _first_ ever conversation, and he had gone to great, possibly illegal lengths to secure it. With the gift comes a letter that’s so romantic Tina isn’t even sure it’s decent.

In terms of gift giving, she knows that Newt's been struggling with finances; he's trying to help out his mother with her recent hospital bills, but his own income is suffering. He also had a mysterious massive credit card charge that his credit card company called to check about back in June, right before his mother was first hospitalized. And so Tina had no expectations for this year. Honestly, spending time with him is more than enough.

They still fight, and it's still over the stupidest things. Newt hates driving with Tina, because she's an  _insufferably_  bossy passenger seat driver. This reaches boiling point when he ends up pulling over to the side of the carriageway to shout at her. They swap places, and he doesn't stay the night. But the next morning they've wordlessly reconciled and meet up at the police station raring to go.

At any rate, Newt has become an irreplaceable part of her life. Tina knows for a fact that she can never actually repay him, and she isn't the  _most_ romantic of people — not like her boyfriend, who's accidentally romantic all the time — so she does the best she can in acts of service. F or Christmas, she enrolls him in a non-credit zoology course taught by an esteemed professor, a luxury he would never be able to afford. Regardless of Newt's reticence on the matter, Tina  _knows_ that law enforcement isn’t where he truly wants to be, and while he’s whole-heartedly dedicated to his job it kills her to see him unhappy. He's constantly, voraciously reading books about zoology and always eventually puts them down, looking dejected as he realizes that his life didn’t go in that direction. So it’s the least she could do, especially considering that he saved her life.

As for her letter... despite not being a natural romantic, Tina's certainly rivals Newt's on the "feelings" factor, and she is happy to report that it is _very_ well-received.

* * *

New Year's Eve is spent with Queenie and Jacob and a handful of coworkers. Everyone seems to be in varying states of buzzed thanks to generous helpings of alcohol, except Tina, who is the designated driver. Newt is hesitant to drink, given that his girlfriend isn't, but she doesn't mind and it's been a long week so he ends up doing increasingly raucous shots with Jacob and some new PCs.

Finally it's 11:59, and everything is getting really very funny and Newt can't quite walk straight, but he stumbles with intense determination to his amused girlfriend.

"Had a little to drink?" she asks dryly.

"It's nothing," Newt insists. "You can put me in the nick later."

"Very romantic," Tina acknowledges.

He clutches her sides for balance. "Thank you."

"This is a great start to the new year."

She's being sarcastic, isn't she. Oh no. Newt sobers slightly. _"You're_ a great start," he professes sloppily, thinking it to be quite the romantic performance. Worthy of an Oscar, probably. Maybe he should start on a speech.

Tina puts her arms around his neck. "You don't make any sense, you know that?"

"Your face doesn't make any sense," Newt mumbles.

Tina raises an eyebrow. "How old are you again?"

"I love you," he counters, and even in his thoroughly intoxicated state Newt means it.

"You're drunk," Tina corrects him. "But I love you too."

"No," he says seriously, because it is  _imperative_ that she understand, "I'm lunk and I druv you." He frowns, shakes his head. "Lunk. Drunk. I love you."

"I druv you too," Tina says, smiling fondly, as the clock strikes 12.

—•—

**5\. February**

At the end of February, Newt is asked to cover for another unit. This leaves Tina working solo, which isn't her favorite thing, but she doesn't mind. A wave of armed robberies has just abated as they successfully got three separate gangs behind bars, so mostly she's making her usual rounds.

Just as she’s getting back into the cruiser halfway through her shift, she gets an urgent call coming in from the command center. The suspect's last known location is barely two minutes from where Tina is parked. Deciding not to ask for backup, Tina hits the ground running.

“And it's a right, right, right, he's wearing a grey tracksuit, now he's garden-hopping in the estate to your left,” the CCTV operator directs her. “Left, left — stop, officer, stop — he's gone round the back now, just out of CCTV range, he should be just in there.”

“Thank you,” Tina says, and sets off with determination. She scales a tall fence and orients herself on an expansive, posh-looking lawn. It's always dodgy once the suspect’s out of the command center’s view, but CCTV operators are so skilled and familiar with the streets that they're almost always exactly correct in their predictions as to when and where a suspect will be. Sure enough, as she comes up a hill Tina sees a figure up ahead.

“Got him,” she says into the radio, racing through bushes before skidding abruptly to a stop inside a gazebo.

Standing with his back to her is... Newt?

“What are you —” she starts, but then he turns around and gets down on one knee without further preamble. He’s fully outfitted in his police uniform, hat slightly askew, and he licks his lips nervously as he looks at her.

“Tina, will you marry me?” he asks anxiously.

So many feelings flood Tina that she's rendered temporarily speechless. She certainly didn’t see _this_ coming, and frankly it seems a bit too good to be true. In all honesty, the amount of times she has fantasized about a proposal border on obsessive. But she never thought it would actually _happen,_ not anytime soon, because they have work and Newt probably needs more time to make sure he really wants to spend the rest of his life with her.

It would seem that he doesn't.

Tina realizes that the velvet box is trembling in her Inspector's hands, and his face has fear and trepidation written all over it.

“Yes,” she says finally, obviously, and hauls him to his feet by his collar so she can kiss him. She’d thought that kiss on the couch last Christmas was the pinnacle of record-breaking kisses, but this is something else, because _Newt Scamander_ has just offered her his heart in his hands and trusted, somehow, that she would accept. His hat slips off and lands at their feet, allowing Tina to bury her fingers in his hair (which she’s this close to chopping off herself, it’s gotten ridiculously long) and pull him impossibly closer.

It’s odd, she thinks as Newt crowds her against the edge of the gazebo — he apparently has a thing for those sorts of kisses, considering the fact that their first one was against the wall of a convenience store — that when she first met him, she never would have suspected that they would be here, now, while Newt makes her melt until she’s fairly certain he is the only thing holding her up.

Finally they break apart, because it’s still light out and they are in a considerably open area. Newt slips the ring onto her finger with a look of awe and pride and a touch of possessiveness that sends shivers down Tina's spine, then tugs her into his arms again. Before he can say anything further, Tina reaches for her radio. “Suspect has been detained,” she reports, smirking. Newt blushes, which is beyond adorable, and glances up above her head.

Suddenly suspicious, Tina follows his line of sight and her eyes fall on a CCTV camera mounted directly over the couple. “You liar!” Tina hits her fiancé. _Fiancé._ “This is _totally_ within range!”

Newt shrugs and touches her hair gently. “Part of the job. Lying to deceive suspects. Including my fiancée.” He stands there, smiling like a self-satisfied idiot in love. Which is essentially what he is.

“You're awful,” Tina sighs. Well, at least there’s footage now of the somewhat imaginative proposal.

She leans down and grabs Newt’s hat, putting it carefully back on his head and smoothing his fringe out of the way in a rather domestic gesture (nothing can beat their ridiculous argument over Newt’s shirt being dirty, though). Then she straightens out his collar and stands there, getting lost in his eyes and feeling a dim sense of cliché emotional overload. Emphasis on _cliché._ Complete with orchestral swells and fireworks. Had she witnessed this proposal for any other couple, Tina is positive she would have run the other direction.

But she and Newt are not any other couple, and never will be. Someday, they will get off duty to go home and make dinner and put their kids to bed. Someday, Newt will use his law enforcement experience on every single guy his daughter brings into the house. Someday, Newt just might get his PhD. Someday, everything will change but they will always feel the same. Someday, they will fall in love over and over again. Through thick and thin.

Newt and Tina will always be partners. It’s part of the job, sticking together. Perhaps not sticking together _this_ much, but they’ve never been ones to do things by halves.

“Hey, I love you,” Tina says. Newt leans forward and presses their foreheads together, then kisses her on the corner of her mouth.

“I love you too,” he whispers, stealing her breath away.

Both of their radios crackle; a legitimate emergency call has come through. Newt and Tina look at one another, grab hands, and run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those of you who have filled out my TWMLLO wrap-up survey! It means a lot to get positive feedback — and varying feedback, too. I'm glad to see my writing was versatile so everyone had different favorites.
> 
> I think my audience is more into saturated Newtina short fics, such as this one, so I'm going to keep going. I will be updating other I'll Be Loving You fics. The problem is trying to appeal to various members of my audience, and I got some people who don't like AUs, so I'm gonna work on a non-AU Newtina short fic :P wish me luck fam.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. “Tina,” Newt says seriously. “I am not joking.” Does he really want her to move in?
> 
> 2\. Theseus inclines his head at her, then presses his lips together thoughtfully. “I haven’t seen him like this since... ever, really.”
> 
> 3\. “Newt,” she says in alarm.
> 
> “I almost lost you,” he whispers.
> 
> 4\. Tina is literally being serenaded in the middle of a bar by her fiancé, who has an amazing heretofore undiscovered singing voice.
> 
> 5\. Dear Tina,
> 
> From the day I met you, I knew you were the one... and I couldn’t help falling in love with you.
> 
> Love,
> 
> PC Scamander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a VERY much-needed break from fanfic and ongoing hiatus on Tumblr, I've decided to return to AO3. Kudos to those of you (if there are) who stood by and waited for me to come back. (I've also been swamped with college. I have gotten A's in 5 out of 6 classes and I'm waiting for the 6th, so cross your fingers!)

**1\. June**

Newt is ecstatic when he finds out that he’s going to get a police dog. He’s assigned a gorgeous German Shepherd puppy who passed all of the tests with flying colors, and decides to name her Nunda, after a Tanzanian folktale. Mngwa, also known as Nunda, was said to be a gigantic, brindled, ferocious, nocturnal feline whom a British administrator working in Tanzania thought was responsible for several attacks on natives. Nunda isn’t a feline, but she _is_ fierce and brindled and just plain adorable.

She moves in with Newt in June, and from the first day she never leaves his side. It’s immediately apparent that she is bright and intelligent and Tina is fairly certain that Newt has found another love.

However, a problem soon arises when, after Tina spends a week and a half at Newt’s (the first week was because her plumbing was on the fritz, and the extra days were just because), Nunda becomes incredibly attached to the policewoman. She whines and sulks and refuses to cooperate once Tina leaves, and that night she paces back and forth in the middle of Newt’s room before hopping onto the bed and pawing him repeatedly, as though asking him to bring Tina back.

When Tina drops by in the morning, she’s greeted by a streak of brown and gray and an overjoyed puppy dog, who leaps up and puts her paws on Tina’s shoulder like a hug, except she's still only little and just dangles there like a cat off a tree branch. Startled, the policewoman isn’t about to reject the canine love, so she spends the next half hour doing paperwork and playing with Nunda cross-legged on the floor. Newt watches with a look of immense fondness.

“I think Nunda wants you to move in,” he suggests lightly.

Tina looks up. “What?”

He shrugs, hands in his pocket as he leans casually against the doorframe. “It would appear that she will not sleep without you here. Neither will her human, in fact.”

“You sleep fine without me,” Tina scoffs.

In one swift move, Newt joins her on the rug, resting a hand on her knee. “I sleep much better when you are here.”

“Sure,” Tina says dryly, hiding a grin. She’s always been the straight man in the relationship, acting exasperated and borderline disinterested when in reality she’s so gone on Newt it borders on ridiculous. Particularly now that she has a ring on her finger. Which she can’t seem to stop admiring.

“Tina,” Newt says seriously. “I am not joking.”

Does he really want her to move in? Tina had vowed, years ago, never to move in with anyone unless they were married, and she still stands by that. Except it would make logistics much easier, she spends probably 80% of her time at his place anyway, and they’re _going_ to get married, it’s just a matter of when. Now that his new K-9 has apparently developed separation anxiety, it’s a no-brainer.

But there are a lot of factors to consider, Tina reminds herself. It’s all very well to sleep over at Newt’s house six or seven days out of the week, to have a toothbrush in the bathroom and hair clogging the bathtub drain and more clothes mingling with his in his dresser than she has in her own closet at home. Actually _living_ together, however...

“I don’t know,” she tells him. “I... have to think about it.”

A flicker of hurt crosses his face. God dammit, why does this have to be so complicated? Granted, _she’s_ the one making it complicated. Still. Queenie moved to the apartment above Jacob’s bakery the other week, and they haven’t been together as long as Newt and Tina. But they’re also a match made in heaven, and even though they’re patiently waiting it’s more than obvious that Jacob is this close to popping the question.

“You’re sweet, Teen,” Queenie said the other day, beaming, “but you and Newt are a match made in heaven too.”

“Are we, though?” Tina asked doubtfully. Her best friend only sighed and went back to painting her nails.

“It isn’t that I don’t want to,” she reassures her boyfriend now. “It’s just a lot.”

“I would never pressure you,” Newt vows. “Ever.”

Why is he so _nice_ to her? “Thanks,” she says sincerely, and kisses him until Nunda starts whining and jumps right in between them, begging for attention. “Yeah, you’ll have to get used to it,” Tina tells the impatient puppy, scratching her behind the ears.

Newt doesn’t say another word about moving in and instead gets to his feet. Tina’s last comment plays over in his mind the rest of the day. He can’t speak for Nunda, but _he_ could certainly get used to it.

* * *

Tina moves in the next week. Newt of course is incredibly considerate, until Tina threatens to pack up and move to California if he does not stop asking whether she’s absolutely _certain._

“I just don’t want you to change your mind,” he mutters.

Damned if Newt doesn’t tug on her heartstrings on a daily basis. It would be manipulative if it was one bit contrived, but it isn’t. “I won’t,” Tina pledges, and she doesn’t.

**—•—**

**2\. August**

Nothing really changes after the move, except that Tina doesn’t have anywhere to go when she and Newt get fed up with each other. Luckily, this doesn’t happen very much, and if one of them goes for a drive the other generally keeps to themselves and goes to bed early. All in all, their relationship continues to be a relatively smooth ride.

They haven’t begun making wedding preparations. Tina has yet to meet Newt’s mom, who’s still not doing very well in a nursing home, and his mysterious older brother Theseus, who’s serving in the army. But one day Newt and Tina drive up to the house and see an unfamiliar beaten-up Jeep in the driveway.

“Theseus!” Newt says, lighting up. From what Tina understands, the two of them haven’t had much contact, but they have always been close. The age gap of seven years between them meant that Theseus went off to college before Newt was even halfway through middle school.

“It was open, sorry,” Theseus says somberly when they step in. “I was planning to call.” Then his face breaks into a grin and he claps his brother heartily on the shoulder. “Good to see you, Newton.”

Theseus looks remarkably like Newt, except everything about him is broader somehow. He’s got a wider smile, much more muscle, and a loud, booming laugh. But his mannerisms are similar enough that Tina can tell they were certainly raised by the same mother, and she gets an inexplicable sense of _calm_ from his presence.

“You must be the infamous Tina Goldstein,” Theseus continues, and goes in for a hug rather than a handshake. Tina has the brief sensation of her lungs being crushed, but then he relinquishes his grip and steps back, standing akimbo and appraising his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law.

“What are you doing here?” Newt asks. “Do come in.” He gestures to the couches and they all take a seat.

After the two brothers catch up and Tina self-consciously talks about herself a little (while Newt watches her proudly), they go out to dinner. The awkwardness and tension subside by the end, aided by a few glasses of wine. Tina tells an amused Theseus about Newt’s drunk New Year’s Eve.

Theseus nods knowingly. “Ah. He never could hold his liquor very well, but more than makes up for it by being an incredibly amusing drunk. He drunk-texted a girl he liked in uni, it was _terrific..._ but I shall spare him the humiliation.”

Newt slides down in his seat. His brother pats him on the head.

It’s pouring outside when they emerge and Newt gallantly offers to get the car and pick the two of them up. Tina frowns, given that she is still somewhat of a control freak when it comes to matters of driving, but Theseus agrees and Newt smirks at his fiancé.

“Idiot,” Tina scoffs fondly as he sets off, hands in his pockets, rain rapidly darkening his hair beneath the streetlamps. It strikes her, the way it does every so often, that she _loves_ this ridiculous man more than should be humanly possible.

“Thank you,” Theseus says softly beside her, and she starts, realizing with embarrassment that he must have caught her staring.

“What for?” Tina asks.

Theseus shrugs. “For loving my brother like no one else can. He was always rather lonely.”

“Yeah, I love him a lot,” Tina admits. “If you couldn’t tell.”

“It is incredibly apparent,” Theseus affirms with a small smirk. “Perhaps next time try to look where you’re walking. I won’t always be around to prevent you from tumbling into somebody’s spaghetti bolognese.”

Tina blushes. It’s true; she’d been too busy admiring her boyfriend as they walked into the restaurant and ended up tripping splendidly. Theseus caught her, but it could have been a very nasty fall. “Thanks for that,” she adds.

Theseus inclines his head at her, then presses his lips together thoughtfully. “I haven’t seen him like _this_ since... ever, really.” The car pulls up. Theseus claps Tina on the shoulder as they walk over to meet Newt. “Congratulations to the both of you.”

**—•—**

**3\. October**

They’re off duty when Nunda saves the day. There’s a large farm and meadow that both the dog and her owners are quite fond of. Tina told Newt to go on ahead with Nunda while she used the bathroom and got directions for a new hiking trail.

She’s walking towards her fiancé, waving, when he spots a dark figure lurking in the trees by her side. When he looks closer, the glint of a machete blade is heart-stoppingly apparent. But Tina is far enough away that she’s out of earshot, and the man is pacing around, shirtless and agitated and clearly mentally unstable. And he’s making a beeline for Tina.

Newt panics, realizing that he won’t be able to reach his fiancée in time, and shouts for Nunda, who had been nosing around the bushes several meters behind him. She glances up, homes in on the suspect, and hurtles across the field in seconds, tackling Tina’s assailant and clamping down on him just as he’s about to lunge. He tries to shake her off, but Nunda always did have a fantastically firm bite, and he isn’t going anywhere. Tina has the presence of mind to grab the machete from the assailant when his grip loosens (Newt doesn’t like seeing her even _near_ a kitchen knife after her last slashing, let alone a giant machete), and Nunda is not relinquishing her target until explicitly told to do so.

Newt hurries over, having called for medical help because he knows the culprit will have some gruesome puncture wounds, and drops to his knees so he can pat Tina down desperately. For her part, she’s slightly dazed; one minute she was happily meeting up with her fiancé and the next her K-9 companion is attacking a man with a machete aiming for her neck.

“I’m fine,” she says, then, “what the _hell_ happened?”

Newt stands up again, cupping her face in his hands and stroking her cheekbones with his thumbs. She reaches up to grasp his wrist, questioning.

“Newt, I’m fine, you know,” she says when he only gazes at her.

Apparently her reassurance falls on deaf ears, as he pulls her desperately into his arms.

“Newt,” she says in alarm.

“I almost lost you,” he whispers.

That’s the thing they never really discuss. In their line of business, the constant threat of death _does_ hang above their heads, given that it’s their job to throw themselves into life-threatening situations. But the fact that this could happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere, including off duty, is what’s gotten Newt so shaken up.

“Don’t be morbid,” Tina says softly, and hugs him back. “I’m here, it’s fine.”

“You’re here,” Newt repeats, as though to remind himself. The truth of the matter is, Tina is all he has. He has Theseus, of course, and he and Jacob get on quite well, but in the end she’s his world.

Police and ambulance arrive, and Tina, Newt, and Nunda are free to go. Newt spends the rest of the day being exceptionally clingy to Tina, and Nunda follows suit, so that Tina ends up with a fiancé who seems to believe that the apocalypse will come if he _isn’t_ touching her at any given moment and a lively, overgrown German Shepherd puppy prancing around her feet and jumping up on her relentlessly.

It turns out that the unstable man had actually decapitated an elderly woman on his way to the farm, and in the end is found not guilty on grounds of insanity. Commissioner Picquery calls to congratulate both of them, particularly Nunda. “Good dog,” Tina says, tossing the heroic canine a treat. Nunda wags her tail.

**—•—**

**4\. December**

Tina honestly didn't think Newt could get any more perfect, but then he does.

They're out at a bar one night with Queenie and Jacob. Newt has accepted, like Tina, that danger can technically be lurking round every bend, and it’s pointless to worry about it. Newt in particular has adopted a new school of thought in that regard, as he shared with Tina yesterday afternoon.

“Worrying means you suffer twice,” he said sagely. Tina asked where he read that online. “I’m just very wise,” he insisted, until she grabbed his laptop and saw that he had Googled a whole list of quotes about anxiety.

“Oh, boy,” she sighed, ruffling up his hair, and went back to what she was doing.

This revelation means that Newt and Tina can finally enjoy a night off-duty. They didn't have time after their shift to change into plainclothes, so they’re still wearing their uniforms, just sans duty belts and stab vests. This leaves Newt in a long-sleeve pilot button-down and Tina in the newer short-sleeve, zip-up wicking police shirt. It makes them stick out slightly — cargo pants and thick combat boots probably wouldn’t be the outfit of choice to go out on the town — which neither of them minds very much.

Karaoke is going strong as people consume more alcohol and the bar gets busier. Queenie, who's always had the voice of an angel, delivers a breathtaking rendition of “Almost Lover,” resulting in several men asking for her number and glowering when she ignores them and goes straight to her _actual_ lover.

“You should go,” Tina says, nudging Newt.

He shakes his head. “I don’t sing.”

It's true. Tina does her fair share of showerhead karaoke at home, and sings along to the radio in the car when she’s not driving the cruiser, but she doesn't think she’s heard her fiancé sing once. Either he has a terrible voice or just doesn't like singing; regardless, she's dying to see him get up there.

“We won't judge, honey,” Queenie joins in.

Newt steadfastly refuses. Knowing that when he digs his heels into the ground, it would take about 100 tons of force and an industrial strength crane to drag him out, Tina lets it go.

Later, she comes back from the bathroom to see Newt being shoved onstage by Queenie, who presses the mic into his hand and pats him on the head.

“We’re all terrible anyway, and you can't be worse than Tina,” she reassures him with a smirk. “It's your turn.”

Amused, Tina makes her way back to their table to watch whatever’s about to happen. Somebody has chosen “Thinking Out Loud,” and she smiles as the music starts playing. Newt licks his lips nervously, clearly seeking his fiancée out in the audience, and locks eyes as he sings the first lines, “When your legs don't work like they used to before, and I can't sweep you off of your feet…”

Tina freezes because where the _hell_ did that voice _come_ from? Everyone else is exchanging looks; Queenie has been well known here since high school, but nobody has ever heard Newt sing. Including his fiancée.

Still clenching and unclenching his fist nervously, Newt catches Tina’s eye again as he continues, soft and unsure, “Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love? Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?”

Okay, that just isn't fair. At all. The entire bar has stopped to watch Newt.

“And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70,” he pledges, definitely _definitely_ singing straight to his fiancée. Queenie pushes Tina forward, closer to the stage. Tina goes, stands right at the front, and Newt seems to visibly relax.

“And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23, and I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways, maybe just the touch of a hand.”

_Maybe just the touch of a hand._

Tina blinks, struck by the appropriateness of the line.

 

> _This chilly November evening is one of their first times out and about together in plainclothes, and to Tina's surprise, Newt reaches over and takes her hand as they make their way down the lane aided by CCTV operators._
> 
> _"Just want to fit in," he explains, and it's true that everyone else on the streets appear to be couples._
> 
> _"Okay," Tina says dumbly. She swears he runs his thumb gently over the back of her hand, and feels her stomach flip flop._

Newt gets a little bolder and louder now, quirking the corner of his mouth in his Tina smile as he sings, “Well, me, I fall in love with you every single day, and I just wanna tell you I am...”

Tina is literally being _serenaded_ in the middle of a bar by her fiancé, who has an amazing heretofore undiscovered singing voice. When did he even learn this song? Who cares, honestly.

Lines of tension leave Newt's body as he gains confidence and falls into a stage presence: still understated, but very much there. Good lord, he's a natural. “So, honey, now take me into your loving arms, kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.”

 _Gladly,_ Tina mouths at him, and Newt _winks_ at her. She glances around to see if anybody’s witnessing this and can verify that yes, this is actually a thing that is happening right now.

“Place your head on my beating heart, I'm thinking out loud, maybe we found love right where we are.”

As he launches into the second verse, Tina registers that people have whipped out their phones. A protective part of her bristles; Newt’s not one for any sort of internet presence, and she has an inkling that this response may be the very reason he's kept his talent hidden for so long.

“Could you not?” she says irritably to one of the young women near her, and gestures to the phone.

“He's so hot,” the woman gushes.

“Yeah, and he's marrying me,” Tina snaps, then crosses her arms and faces front again. The poor girl stops recording, looking crestfallen and then quite bitter. She spreads word to her friends that this mysterious heartthrob is taken, and all of a sudden half the female population seems to have a profound hatred for their “competition.” Tina ignores them. The only woman _not_ glaring daggers at Tina — the bar owner — smiles, comes over, and motions for her to get on stage.

“He's singing to you, sweetie,” she says.

“Oh, I don't —” Tina starts, eyes widening in panic, but above them Newt has seen the commotion and nods vehemently, holding out his hand to her. Face flushing, Tina reluctantly joins her fiancé onstage.

“'Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen, and, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory,” Newt sings earnestly, and Tina calms because now it’s just the two of them (in a sickeningly cliché situation, granted). The audience fades away as Tina wonders exactly what sort of alternate reality she’s landed herself in.

Newt takes her hand in his, running his thumb over the ring on her finger, then presses her palm to his chest as he implores, “Take me into your loving arms, kiss me under the light of a thousand stars, place your head on my beating heart.”

“If you're lucky,” Tina says in an undertone, grinning at her fiancé, whose eyes crinkle at the corner as he brings up a hand to tenderly touch her hair.

“Maybe we found love right where we are,” he responds, and launches into the last chorus. This time, he’s clearly poured his heart and soul into it, and Tina watches with pride and a decent amount of emotion as Newt turns and legitimately performs for the audience, never letting go of her hand. When he sings the last note, he tugs Tina towards him, drops the mic, and presses his forehead against hers, nudging her nose gently. Everyone erupts in applause and wolf whistles.

“Did I do alright?” Newt asks Tina anxiously over the commotion.

“You idiot,” Tina replies, and hauls him over by the collar to kiss him thoroughly in front of the whole bar.

“Is that a yes?” he asks.

“Oh, shut up,” she says flippantly, and hugs him before they go offstage and make a beeline for their friends. People stop recording, more rounds are called for, and everything goes back to normal.

“I thought the lady cop was pretty hot,” some fit Abercrombie and Fitch model type fellow says loudly as they walk by. His friend guffaws and nods in agreement. “Hey, sexy!” the guy calls, glimpsing Tina. “If you ever ditch the scrawny ginger, you know where I'll be!”

“In the nick, after I've booked you for lewd conduct,” Newt retorts before Tina can politely decline the offer.

“Forget it,” Tina says, steering him towards Queenie and Jacob. She gets hit on regularly in undercover operations anyway, and her silly jealous fiancé has had to learn to deal with it.

“Am I scrawny?” he asks her in concern.

Tina, who is never opposed to a topless Newt, presses her lips together and doesn't answer.

“Tina!”

“Mm? No, you're fine,” she reassures him. Now is not the time to get all hot and bothered over her fiancé singing a love ballad to her. “You, uh… you're good.”

He furrows his brow as they join Queenie and Jacob. “Good? Define ‘good.’”

“Take me home and I will,” Tina says impudently, then quickly greets her friends before Newt can respond. This leaves him clamping his mouth shut and watching his fiancée, eyes shining.

* * *

Sure enough, Newt has gotten himself on the Trending charts of YouTube and Vine. He is now, officially, the mystery hot singing cop.

“Oh, bugger,” he groans, flopping back on top of Tina. She lifts her arms to accommodate the whiny policeman, rests her elbows on his back, and continues scrolling through her phone. “Tina!”

“Hmm?”

“Save me,” he says weakly.

“Hey, I’m just waiting for you to get on Ellen. That was the only reason I dated you in the first place, anyway,” she says, mouth twisted in amusement.

Newt peers dolefully up at her, chin digging into her sternum. “Don’t tease me. This is a dire situation.”

Tina scoffs, but runs her fingers through his hair affectionately. “You’ll survive.”

“Oh no — do you suppose Commissioner Picquery has seen it?”

Tina holds up her phone. “Already texted me. She wanted to make sure that if you got a record deal, you’d either say no and stay on the force, or say yes and donate all proceeds to the department.”

“I choose the first option,” Newt declares, his voice muffled as he buries his face in Tina’s chest again. She pats him absentmindedly on the head and continues checking social media. Newt, luckily, has no accounts to his name, but this leaves Tina playing his middle man.

To everyone’s relief (except perhaps Queenie, who truly believed she was responsible for the making of a superstar), Newt’s performance is quickly beat the next day by a BBC interview in which the interviewee (whom Newt compares to Beaker the Muppet, and Tina suppresses a snort because it’s kind of accurate) gets interrupted by his children.

“Did you enjoy my singing, though, is the question,” he says to Tina as she gets dressed.

“Was I not clear enough last night?” she asks evenly.

“Was it because of my singing or because of me?” is the next query. Newt hands her her duty belt.

“Mm, both,” Tina answers, and secures her stab vest. “Ready?”

“Would you like me to sing again?”

Tina can _see_ the gears turning in Newt’s head. “This is not a creative way to get out of arguments,” she informs him, and he deflates as his genius plan is thwarted.

“It was worth a try,” Newt points out, tossing her the keys as they get ready to leave.

“It’s a pretty effective way to seduce your fiancée, though,” Tina adds, and unlocks the car.

“Do I really need to seduce you?” Newt asks. He stops Tina before she can get in, spins her around dramatically in his arms, and kisses her in full view of the entire street, including a group of children playing basketball. Tina, used to Newt’s complete lack of consideration for what the public might think of his sometimes overwrought displays of affection, willingly goes along with it.

“Yeah, your seduction techniques could use some work,” she lies, just to stress him out (and, admittedly, to set the bar higher), then raps the top of the car. “Hop in, Inspector.”

**—•—**

**5\. February**

Somehow, Newt and Tina pull off a wedding in two months. On January 1st — Newt _doesn't_ get drunk this year, and Tina kind of misses drunk and then hungover, overly demonstrative Newt — they get in a massive fight. Then, just as Newt is about to storm out of the house, they both stop, backs to one another, and turn around.

“We should get married,” Tina says wearily, at the same time as Newt asks, “Is there a particular reason we aren't married yet?”

Newt still leaves to cool down, but when he comes back they start the ambitious task of throwing together the fastest wedding possible. This means calling vendors while on duty (there have been some awkward situations where they had to put down the phone to chase down a suspect, and came back to discover the person was still on the line, incredibly confused as to what had just happened) and, while they typically don't discuss too many personal topics during their shifts, bickering over tents and napkins and venues in the cruiser.

Newt is making a traffic stop when he discovers that the woman he’s pulled over is a wedding planner. She's also in possession of narcotics, but before they handcuff her they ask some questions and get her to write down the names of her competition.

Tina and Queenie go wedding dress shopping together and it's one of the more stressful experiences of Tina’s life. She isn't exactly the soft, girly, stylish type, and truth be told she would much rather get married in her police uniform. Particularly considering she's always ready to spring into action, and most wedding dresses significantly hamper her ability to move around.

“Teen, _please,”_ Queenie begs. Tina does envy her best friend sometimes, who is somehow brilliantly smart, ridiculously nice, and unfairly gorgeous. Not that Tina _isn’t._ But still.

After suffering through yet another ridiculous ball gown, Tina explains her plight to their assistant, who points out, “You could wear a short wedding dress, you know. It doesn’t have to be very fancy.”

“I _wanted_ it to be fancy,” Queenie bemoans.

“That sounds good,” Tina replies, relieved.

She settles on a short, A-line dress with sweetheart neckline overlaid with delicate lace which extends into three-quarter sleeves. It isn’t exactly what Queenie had in mind, or what most people probably think of when they think “wedding dress,” but it’s relatively modest, attractive, and comfortable. In a worst case scenario, Tina could definitely get in a shoot-out in it.

The rest of preparations go by in a flurry of exhausting activities. Newt and Tina don’t even have time to argue, so overall it goes very well. After several caterer snafus, the flower vendor comments that they have been remarkably patient; they reply that compared to throwing themselves into harm’s way on a regular basis, this is a cake walk.

Tina finally meets Newt’s mom, who is feeling better after a long bout in hospital and then rehab. Elsie Scamander is a lovely, kind woman and immediately takes to her daughter-in-law. “You chose well, Newtie,” she tells her son. Sophia, Newt’s cousin, snorts.

“Newtie?” Tina asks in amusement.

“Please don’t,” Newt begs everyone in the vicinity who’s overheard.

They have a quick wedding ceremony — none of the attendants expected anything else; they’re just impressed that the couple actually bothered to put together a proper wedding — and their vows bring tears to everyone’s eyes.

“I’m pretty sure I thought you were really cute the first time we met,” Tina admits. “But, um... sometimes I’m a little slow on the uptake. Anyway, I know I’m not the romantic one. And you’re okay with that, I think. I hope. But I also think you should know...” Tina takes a deep breath, because even though she’s relatively unscathed, exposing her feelings to others is not her forte. “Newt Scamander, I am utterly, ridiculously, _irrevocably_ in love with you. And I swear I’ll do everything I can to make sure I never make you feel differently.”

“Everything she said,” Newt says when it’s his turn. The audience laughs gently. “Tina,” he says with utmost seriousness. “Before you came into my life, I think I was rather aimless. Little did I know... I was looking for you. When we first met, I spent the next few days wondering how on earth I was supposed to handle liking you _this_ much when you were clearly uninterested. But I decided that all I could do was to be there for you — with you — and that would have to be enough.

“I love you more than I am capable of articulating. I never had a best friend until I met you. I never knew what it was to love someone selflessly — to be willing, without hesitation, to take a bullet for them.

“Tina, you have changed me for the better. I love you... so much,” and his voice goes a bit wobbly. “And I will spend every moment of our lives proving that to you.”

“That was really nice,” Tina says tearfully to him as they are pronounced husband and wife and everyone jumps to their feet, whooping and applauding.

Halfway through the reception, Newt excuses himself to go to the bathroom, kissing Tina swiftly on the cheek before leaving. She waves dismissively and continues her conversation with Seraphina and Sophia.

A few minutes later, everybody starts to quiet and the lights dim. Tina turns around in confusion as a projector lights up the wall. Beaming, Sophia squeezes Tina’s arm and pulls her to the front of the room, shushing her, when a slideshow begins rolling.

> _Dear Tina,_
> 
> _I know we have been through a lot, and not all of it has been easy._
> 
> _I know we fight and nearly get killed on a daily basis._
> 
> _But from the day I met you, I knew you were the one._
> 
> _And no matter how many times I feared I would forever be — as Sophia has told me — in the Friendzone, I couldn’t help falling in love with you._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _PC Scamander_

“What the —” Tina starts in bewilderment, already bracing herself for whatever is next to come. The letters fade into blackness, and are suddenly replaced by the first photograph they ever took together. “Oh no, are you serious?” she asks helplessly. Sophia nods and hands her a tissue.

It’s a ridiculous picture; Tina’s hair looks terrible, there are bags under her eyes from too many graveyard shifts, and Newt appears confused and totally out of his depth.

“Please don’t,” Tina groans, shielding her eyes, but then music starts playing oh so softly.

The slideshow switches to another photo, this time of them making their first arrest together. “CCTV was super helpful,” Sophia whispers to Tina. It switches to a photo taken a few minutes later, of them high-fiving _very_ unprofessionally next to the cruiser as the suspect struggles between them.

Tina _knows_ what’s coming. Sure enough, the image of them holding hands for the first time flashes on the screen.

What Tina honestly _didn’t_ know was coming is her husband’s voice. He hasn’t actually sung to her since that time at the karaoke bar, and she doesn’t mind very much.

“Wise men say only fools rush in,” Newt sings, stepping out from behind the projector screen. “But I can't help falling in love with you...”

There are more pictures now. Many are from CCTV, but a number of them were taken seemingly without either of them being aware. Tina had forgotten that for a few weeks, they were followed around by camera for a TV series. Their arrests apparently weren’t compelling enough and didn’t make the cut, but it would seem that footage survived.

> _(They didn’t want to encourage police relationships and said they couldn’t use everything they shot of us. I tried to explain that we were not a couple. They begged to differ.)_

One freeze frame captures Tina reading a suspect his rights. The look on Newt’s face is nothing short of adoring as he stands to the side, pausing as he writes on his notepad to gaze at his partner. Another features _Tina_ standing, arms crossed, and staring — seemingly without realizing — at Newt as he talks to Seraphina, sporting a similar expression on her face. Oh god, did she fall in love without even noticing it?

All of these pictures continue to the tune of Newt’s voice, serenading her with what he _knows_ is one of her biggest musical weaknesses. “Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?” He finds her in the crowd, but mercifully no spotlight appears. Tina seriously can’t emotionally manage walking over to him now. “Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling, so it goes. Some things are meant to be...”

Counting the months in her head, Tina waits resignedly for the incriminating photo to appear. It does, with a vengeance, in much higher quality than she’s comfortable with: the two of them snogging against the side of the convenience store. Everyone in the room laughs.

After a few pictures of them on duty, leaning against the cruiser with coffees, tackling suspects to the ground, goofing around with the radios (Seraphina taps Tina and gives her an imperious glare), and the like, there’s a photo of them walking down the boardwalk on their first “date” together. They’re dangerously close to one another, the backs of their hands brushing together, but it’s evident that they’re exercising immense self-restraint.

Next is a slightly fuzzy picture of them frolicking in the water. Tina forgot, but at one point Newt had wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips just accidentally ghosting across her neck. They look happy, happier than she believes either of them had felt in a long time.

> _Sorry. Someone whose abuser we imprisoned recognized us and took photos on her phone. I ran into her at Tesco later and she mentioned it. I demanded that she hand over the pictures, hoping they may come in handy some day. They did._

_It’s okay,_ she mouths at Newt as he continues, “Take my hand, take my whole life, too.” His voice goes a bit husky and unsteady as he sings that line, which is just as well because Tina is already a mess and they aren’t even halfway through. “For I can't help falling in love with you.”

More photos roll in of them being lovesick idiots on duty, and finally a video clip of the entire proposal. Then come more pictures, many of which she’s actually familiar with, although there’s another clip of them just sprinting down the road together in pursuit. It shouldn’t be remarkable, except it captures the essence of their relationship: running head first into danger, side by side.

“Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be.” Tina is mildly embarrassed at the number of photographs in which she looks like a 12-year-old girl meeting Justin Bieber.

“Oh god, I really like him,” she says to Sophia.

“Yep, I’d say so,” Sophia replies in amusement.

“Take my hand, take my whole life, too.” Now Tina musters up the courage to walk over and join her husband — _husband! —_ who takes her hand in his and sings only to her.

Their even heights make it impossible _not_ to look straight into each other’s eyes, and Tina almost wants to turn her head for a moment, if only to contain herself. But Newt pins her in place just as he pinned her in place (literally and figuratively) during their first kiss, sweeps her off her feet with the intensity of his gaze and the feel of his fingers between hers.

“For I can't help falling in love with you,” he sings softly, pressing his forehead to hers as his hand comes up to cradle her jaw and caress her cheek with his thumb. “For I can't help falling in love with you.”

The last note takes forever to fade out, and for a moment there’s complete and utter silence. The slideshow has ended on wedding photos from only hours ago — “They were very efficient,” Newt informs Tina — replaced by their names and their anniversary date.

Gentle clapping turns into cheering, and they’re buffeted side to side when they try to make their way through the crowd. The lights come back on, the couple is caught in a whirlwind of congratulations and “I didn’t know Newt could sing like that” and “you have a beautiful wife right there” and “this is the most amazing wedding I’ve been to” before everybody else resumes what they were doing and the party is back in full swing.

“You look beautiful,” Newt murmurs, when he finally gets a moment alone with his wife in the corner.

“You look handsome,” Tina replies, straightening his bowtie slightly. “Queenie was pissed that I hadn’t chosen the ‘traditional’ gown. But we aren’t exactly traditional, so.”

“It suits you perfectly, though I am hardly one to weigh in on the matter of women’s attire,” Newt says, sliding his arms down to rest them around Tina’s waist.

“Well, happy wedding,” Tina says after a moment of comfortable silence.

Newt’s raises an eyebrow in amusement. “Happy wedding?”

“Oh, shut up,” she retorts, cuffing him on the shoulder. His eyes crinkle at the corner as he smiles.

“Happy wedding,” Newt says softly, and it is.

_~fin~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice this is only 4 out of 5. A bonus chapter involving kids may or may not be on its way ;)
> 
> I do hope the "drama" didn't deter too many readers. I'm going to be going through and replying to loads of comments belatedly (better late than never) as well. And I hope, of course, that you enjoyed this "final" installment.
> 
> If you like other AUs, I recommend [this one](archiveofourown.org/works/10589658/chapters/23407620) which is based (with my permission) off of one of my personal headcanons. Newt is an A-list actor and Tina is a New York policewoman.


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Newt and Tina become... parents?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to finish at least one fic before I started my summer classes, and I did! I'm hoping to post two more chapters of various fics by this weekend as well.
> 
> Newt and Lila were inspired by the WV Sargeant who took care of a 14-month-old when her mother was arrested for drugs. There was another story of this as well, but I couldn't find it off the bat.

Newt and Tina have been married for two years when they respond to a drug overdose: a little girl called saying that her mommy and daddy weren't waking up. The call came from a notoriously rough, gang-inhabited area with high rates of opioid abuse. Most of the kids end up either on the streets, in and out of prison, or passed through the foster care system until they become legal and strike out on their own.

Newt and Tina arrive after the medics and another unit have taken charge and have barely stepped into the house when Tina hears Newt’s sharp intake of breath behind her and glances up in time to see her husband book it down the hall to the bedroom. He's back two seconds later with a baby, no more than four months old, cradled in his arms. In the chaos, nobody else had heard the infant crying.

“Are you alright?” Newt asks the officers and medics. They nod; the father has been declared DOA, but they're attempting to revive the mother and administer Narcan. The spunky 5-year-old 999 caller is being comforted by one of the medics.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tina watches Newt rush into the kitchen and start opening cabinets one-handed. He grabs a can of formula and, rocking the baby, whips up a bottle. The baby — “That’s my sister,” the 5-year-old says in relief — stops fussing immediately, lulled by the food and her unexpected caretaker’s gentle touch, and, satisfied that she's okay, Newt joins the rest of them. The mother is in critical condition and is being transported to the hospital, leaving her two children.

“That's my baby sister,” the 5-year-old repeats proudly to the room, much calmer now that the medics and one unit have left the house. “Lila.”

“That's a pretty name,” Tina says. “What's your name?”

“Shiloh,” the little girl answers shyly.

“Well, Shiloh, you'll be coming with us, okay?” Tina says. “I'm Officer Tina.”

“Okay,” Shiloh says, and takes Tina’s hand. Then she pauses. “My car seat is in Mommy’s car.”

The officers all exchange amused, slightly heart-broken glances. “Safety first,” one of them affirms.

“We’ll get it, don't worry,” Tina promises.

The other unit is trailing behind them. Tina grabs the car seat and secures it in the back of the cruiser, then lifts Shiloh into it much more naturally than she might have predicted of herself. Shiloh buckles herself up happily.

“All set?” Tina asks, patting Shiloh on the knee, who nods and asks,

“Who's the man holding Lila?”

Newt has seated himself in the passenger seat and is now feeding Lila, gazing down with concern and warmth and something extremely paternal. “Officer Newt,” he says, turning to face the 5-year-old and smiling.

“Like the animal?” Shiloh wrinkles up her nose.

“Exactly,” Tina says, smirking, and turns the ignition.

Once they get to the precinct, Shiloh has grown extraordinarily attached to Officer Newt and Tina. Having no other pressing business until another call comes in, they don't mind hanging around with the children. While they wait for paperwork to be filled out and news on the mother, Newt sits in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs outside the office and absentmindedly burps Lila.

“She's gonna spit up,” Shiloh predicts, and sure enough she does.

Newt, completely unfazed, smiles instead at Tina and asks Shiloh to pass him a Kleenex.

“You're a better daddy than my daddy,” Shiloh says in awe. It breaks Tina’s heart, though she feels a little bit proud. _This is the man I am spending the rest of my life with._

“She’ll be just fine,” Newt says softly, eyes crinkling at the corner in a gentle smile.

“How many kids do you and Officer Tina have?” is the next, inevitable question.

Tina glances at her husband in alarm. “Oh, we don't —”

“You don't have kids?” Shiloh is puzzled. “Are you married?”

Newt nods.

She looks even more puzzled. “Mommy and Daddy had me before they were married.”

“Well… not everyone has kids before they get married,” Tina struggles to explain.

“It's okay,” Shiloh decides, and kicks her feet back and forth in the chair. “Sometimes Mommy and Daddy wish they hadn't ever had me or Lila. I can tell ‘cause they take pills so they don't have to play with me.”

“I want to play with you,” Tina says, sternly keeping her emotions in check, although she's pretty sure she’ll break down later thinking of that innocent little confession. “Will you play with me?”

Shiloh beams. “Yes please,” she says. Tina breaks out a dusty box of Legos purchased specifically for incidents such as this one, and the two of them sit down on the floor, building bridges and towers, while Lila falls asleep in Newt’s arms.

* * *

Newt and Tina are pulled into the office a few hours later and informed that the mother’s overdose had been fatal.

“Oh god,” Tina whispers. Newt’s arms fall around her. “Newt…”

“I know,” he says quietly, holding her, and presses his lips to her hair.

“We have to tell Shiloh,” Tina says plaintively. It kills her. “How do we tell her?”

“I don't know,” her husband confesses, notching his chin over her shoulder and drawing her closer to him. “Would you like me to do it?”

Tina shakes her head, blinking back tears. “No. No, she — she was playing with me.”

Newt nods and squeezes her hand. “I love you.”

Tina feels sick as she walks back into the hallway. She's never had to make this call, never had to knock on a parent’s doorstep and deliver the grim news, never had to tell someone that their loved one is dead, but this is the absolute worst first time for that.

“Officer Tina!” Shiloh says, perking up when the officers come back down the hall to her.

“Your mommy’s gone,” Tina whispers, kneeling in front of the little girl. “I'm so sorry.”

The little girl's face crumples. She doesn't ask questions — she must have known, known when her mommy stopped breathing, that she wasn't going to make it — but throws her arms around Tina’s neck in a death grip, and sobs and sobs. Tina feels absolutely terrible. Her knees can only take so much, however, so she manages to stand up, still holding Shiloh. The 5-year-old cries herself to sleep in half an hour, clutching her favorite officer.

“She's so sweet,” Tina whispers. Newt nods silently and comes over, gently rubbing Shiloh’s back and carefully tucking in the tag of her dress. Then he kisses Tina on the temple. “Do we have to go?” she asks.

Newt shakes his head. “Stay as long as you need,” he replies.

Tina only gets another 15 minutes before she's forced to hand over the sleeping child. “Bye, Shiloh,” she whispers. Shiloh stirs, mostly asleep, but gives a drowsy little wave before slumping onto her new caretaker.

“Well,” Newt says when they get to the car. “That was quite the day.”

Tina thinks back to how he’d acted so instantly and instinctively with Lila. “I was impressed,” she says. “I didn't know you were so good with babies.”

Newt shrugs. “It was my first one, really.”

Tina gapes. “You’ve never been with a baby before?”

Newt raises an eyebrow. “Do I seem the babysitting type to you?”

“Well, no — but I thought — relatives? Friends?”

“I never had friends,” Newt says, and reaches over to stick the keys in the ignition seeing as his wife is still sitting there. “Not until I met you.”

“How did you know to burp her?” Tina asks.

Newt pauses.

“Newt?”

He clears his throat, suddenly looking embarrassed. “I, er… I did a bit of research. Just a smidge. Earlier.”

Comprehension dawns. “Do you want _kids?”_ Tina asks, flabbergasted, and realizes too late that she sounds flabbergasted for the wrong reasons. They haven't actually had this conversation before. She never really thought about having children, and she didn't think Newt was much of a kid-oriented person. Plus, law enforcement runs in her blood and she doesn't know if she could actually mentally or physically handle a pregnancy and maternity leave. And so she had been perfectly happy assuming they simply wouldn't be the type to raise a family.

“Never — never mind,” Newt says quietly, and stares down at his hands.

“No, Newt, I'm sorry,” she apologizes hastily. “I just — I hadn't thought of it. I didn't think you would… want kids. With — with me.” The last part is a ridiculous acknowledgement of insecurity that slips out before she can stop it. Hey, it's been a long day.

Newt’s head snaps up. “With — if not you, then with whom else?” he says, shocked.

“Oh, I don't know,” Tina says in frustration. “I just didn't think we’d be having kids. It's a lot to consider.” She pauses, chewing her lip. “Although, uh, Shiloh and Lila really might've changed my mind on that count.”

Newt looks relieved, and reaches over to put his hand over Tina’s on the gearshift. “Me too.”

“We’ll think about it, okay?” Tina says. Jesus Christ, it's 4 in the morning. “But we should really get some sleep.”

Newt leans back in his seat and sighs, closing his eyes. “Drive on, Officer Tina.”

* * *

Two months later, Newt and Tina walk in on a conversation in the break room. “Yeah, remember that family Goldstein and Scamander took care of? Heard they're splitting the two girls up. None of the foster families want a baby _and_ a little kid.”

“What?” Tina asks sharply.

“The Jameson’s. The two girls.”

“Sorry, they want to _what?”_ Newt says, blinking.

“They don't want them together?” Tina adds.

The officer shrugs. “It's two pretty different ages. From the sounds of it Shiloh’s a real handful.”

“They can't separate them,” Tina says indignantly.

“Why don't you adopt them, then?” the officer jokes. He finishes his apple, tosses the core in the trash, and leaves, clapping Newt on the shoulder.

They do.

* * *

Shiloh's face lights up when she sees Tina and Newt walking towards her.

“Officer Tina and Newt!” she cries excitedly. “They found me and Lila a mommy and daddy! They're gunna keep us for real this time!”

Lila, nearly twice the size she was before — looking much healthier — reaches for Newt immediately, and Tina’s heart soars.

“Yeah?” Tina asks the buoyant 5-year-old. She suppresses a smile. “You know who they are?”

Shiloh shakes her head. “I hope they’re like you and Officer Newt,” she says earnestly.

“What if they _are_ me and Officer Newt?” Tina responds. Beside her, Newt tickles Lila, who dissolves in giggles.

“What d’you mean?” Shiloh says, frowning.

“We’re your new mommy and daddy. We’re adopting you,” Tina explains.

Shiloh’s eyes grow big as dinner plates as it sinks in. Then, shrieking, she launches herself at Tina. “For real?”

“For real,” Tina promises. Shiloh gapes at her again before throwing her arms around Tina’s neck and squeezing. “Whoa, easy.”

“You too, Officer Newt?” Shiloh cries, reaching out to throw herself at him. Luckily he moves Lila to his other arm before she can be crushed by her big sister, and stands patiently as Shiloh clambers onto his shoulders and hugs his head. “Really really?”

“Really really,” he replies, and hands Lila over to Tina. It’s the first time Tina’s actually held her new daughter, and though the baby looks none too pleased to be separated from her father, she warms up soon enough to her mom.

The first thing Newt learns for fatherhood is how to do cornrows in his older daughter's hair. She said that her daddy used to do it for her, so they stop at Boots and buy hair baubles on the way home. They've already gotten the house childproofed and furnished for the kids, but they've left it up to Shiloh to decide wall color and other decorations. She’s positively thrilled and keeps asking if this is a dream.

“I want BLUE,” she declares. They take her and Lila, tucked securely into a hand-me-down stroller from Queenie and Jacob, shopping the next day, where they allow Shiloh to buy whatever she wants for her room. That weekend, they all join together to paint the walls, and with the sun shining through the windows and Newt covered in paint and Shiloh — her _daughter —_ dancing around in circles to the radio, Tina doesn’t think she’s ever been happier.

“You can call me Mom, if you want,” Tina offers tentatively, after they’ve all been cleaned and fed.

“Can I?”

“Absolutely. And you can call Newt Dad. If you want to.”

“Can I call you Tina and Newt if I want?” Shiloh asks anxiously.

Tina smiles. “Of course.”

“Thanks, Tina,” Shiloh says gratefully. She doesn’t say as much, but Tina suspects that she doesn’t want to call anybody Mom and Dad until she’s absolutely certain they aren’t going to leave.

The girls didn't have middle names before, so Newt and Tina make their old surname their middle names. Goldstein-Scamander is quite a mouthful, but Shiloh is overjoyed. “Shiloh Jameson Goldstein-Scamander,” she says. “I don't like the Jameson. Can I get rid of it?”

“You might want it when you're older,” Tina tells her. “But for now you don't need to say it's part of your name.”

Newt, making the ultimate sacrifice, takes paternity leave. Although he goes mental with worry, letting Tina go off alone, he gets more panicked at the thought of leaving Lila with someone other than himself, so father and daughter spend the first few months together until she’s old enough to be put in daycare. Shiloh, for her part, attends the local elementary school and becomes an immediate success. She bounds home off the bus everyday, straight into Newt’s arms, and parent teacher conferences make both parents swell with pride.

Lila’s first word is “Newt.” It sounds more like “New,” but she points to Newt and says it, so it’s fairly obvious what she means. Though both Newt and Tina accuse each other of favoritism, they certainly love their daughters equally. Rather unsurprisingly, Newt fawns over them a bit more than necessary; Tina has long since resigned herself to playing bad cop. It works.

Newt and Tina do their best to keep up. It’s hard in the beginning: as picture perfect as many moments are, there are also plenty of fights and time-outs and slamming doors. More difficult is finding time between work and the kids to maintain their own relationship. They never went on dates — after all, they spend more time together on duty than they do at home — until, around Shiloh’s eighth birthday, it becomes blatantly apparent that their marriage is wearing thin.

“You need a break,” Queenie says firmly. “The kids are with their grandmum. Let me and Jacob take care of your girls.”

Reluctantly, Newt and Tina go on a 3-day holiday, FaceTiming Shiloh and Lila every evening. There, Tina realizes that since having kids she’s fallen in love with her husband even more, and if he is to be believed — which he is — he feels the same about her. They talk, they joke around, they go out to eat, and they actually go to bed at the same time again.

“Good,” Queenie says, eyes twinkling, the second she sees them. Tina blushes; Newt kisses her.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Shiloh yells, flying down the staircase to attack her parents.

“Have you grown another foot, then?” Newt asks sternly, looking her up and down. She and Lila were both malnourished when they were taken in. Now, it seems that they won’t stop growing.

Lila comes toddling towards them as well, face lighting up when she sees who it is. “Mumma!” she says happily, hugging Tina’s leg.

“Thank you,” Tina thanks her friend.

“Anytime,” Queenie replies, and kisses her on the cheek. “Welcome home.”

* * *

After their weekend together, Newt and Tina start having tea and coffee, respectively, every morning in the stairwell before the girls get up. It becomes a ritual: one of them wakes the other, they tiptoe downstairs, pour their beverages, and sit on the stairs, talking quietly. Shiloh and Lila have both learned that even if they’re awake, they don’t bother Mommy and Daddy when they’re having their morning time together.

Newt comes down with the flu again, but after a long night of throwing up in their bathroom and running a high fever, Tina is shocked when he shakes her awake.

“Wha...?” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes.

“Coffee?” he croaks, and hands her a cup.

“Oh my god, you’re sick,” Tina objects. “Get in bed!”

“In a minute,” Newt promises. Tina has no choice but to follow her stubborn husband into the stairwell, where she does most of the talking and thinks about how much she loves this ridiculous man, and then tells him just that.

“After all this time?” Newt asks jokingly.

“You don’t even know,” Tina replies, leaning over and kissing his chapped lips.

“I think I may still be contagious,” Newt warns her, pulling away. But Tina places their mugs carefully on the landing, winds her arms around his neck, and shows him just how little she cares.

_~fin~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the readers who stood by me as I wrote this and other stories, whether you commented or not! Support for my writing really means a lot, and this is I think one of the only fics I'm actually (being a self-critical artist) relatively happy with, so it's lovely to see others enjoying it as well.

**Author's Note:**

> In the meantime, you could maybe check out any of my other works. I'm obsessed with writing and if you're obsessed with reading I think we'll get along just fine.


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